Opposition criticises govt for hiking petrol, diesel prices

Opposition on Monday criticised the government in Lok Sabha for increasing duty on petrol and diesel in the Budget saying it would hurt the common man and must be withdrawn.

Initiating the debate on the Budget 2019-20, Congress member Shashi Thraoor questioned the wisdom of the government in increasing the duty on petrol and diesel at a time when the price of crude oil has been declining in the international market.

In her budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Friday raised excise duty and road and infrastructure cess on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre each to raise Rs 24,000- 28,000 crore on an annual basis.

Following the decision, the petrol price went up by a minimum of Rs 2.40 per litre and diesel by a minimum of Rs 2.36 per litre.

"The common man is already paying the highest fuel prices in the world because of this government's tax on petrol and diesel at a time when the prices of fuel are dropping world wide," Tharoor said.

Participating in the ..