Bengaluru: Opposition leader Siddaramaiah came down heavily on the Centre and state government over the price rises and demanded the state government to pass a resolution urging the Centre to reduce the excise duty on fuel.

Initiating the debate on price rise under rule 69, Mr. Siddaramaiah came down heavily on State and Center for increasing excise duty on petroleum products. He demanded the state government reduce sales tax levied on petrol on the line of Tamil Nadu government where Chief Minister M.K. Stalin reduced Rs. 3 on petrol and diesel.

Siddaramaiah’s criticism of the Modi-led government triggered a verbal fight between BJP and Congress members. Law and Parliamentary Minister J.C. Madhuswamy and Health Minister Dr Sudhakar objected to the opposition leader for criticizing the Centre for price rise.

Citing the example of then Opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee comparing price rise under the Indira Gandhi government to criminal loot, Mr. Siddaramaiah stated that the incumbent doing the same.

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Both State and Centre looting people through skyrocketed prices on gas, petrol, diesel. During Manmohan Singh, the excise duty of diesel was Rs. 3.45 per litre; within seven years, the excise duty of diesel per litre is Rs. 31.84, more than 9-time increase of excise duty.

Taking a dig at the Modi-led government at the Centre, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the wealth of Ambani and Adani has increased multiple times. Mr. Siddaramaiah quoted tweets of BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanya Swamy regarding non-payment of the debt by Adani to nationalized banks.

The opposition leader gave statistics on the status of oil prices during former prime minister Manmohan Singh and present dispensation at the Centre. Despite crude oil price was 120 to 125 dollars per barrel in the International market, the price of diesel per litre was 47. But now crude oil price is 69 dollars per barrel, the price of diesel is 96.61 per litre and petrol price is 105 per liter, he compared. Though there was a drastic decrease in crude oil prices in the international market, the government has increased oil prices.

In the form of excise duty on petrol and diesel, the Centre has collected Rs. 24 lakh crore in seven years; however, Manmohan Singh has borrowed oil bond for Rs. 1.40,186 crore, Modi government has collected 20 times more than the oil price borrowings. From Karnataka alone, the excise duty was collected from petrol and diesel was 1.40 lakh crore. But BJP and its sympathizers keep on giving the reason of UPA’s government oil bond for the fuel price hike, Mr Siddaramaiah criticized.

Out of Rs. 1,40,186 crore oil bond borrowings the Centre has repaid only Rs 70,000 crore interest, the principal amount of Rs. 1,34,923 crore yet to be paid.

Condemning the Centre for hiking cooking gas cylinder price of Rs. 350 in one year, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that common people are suffering due to a steep increase in cooking gas prices. Now, the cooking gas price has reached Rs. 900.

Owing to price hikes, women have pledged the gold ornaments, including their Mangala Sutra in Muthoot and Mallapuram gold, Mr. Siddaramaiah pointed out, reading out the statistics furnished by the finance department.
Opposition leaders criticized the Centre for stopping subsidies for cooking gas cylinders, including Ujjal yojana. Due to the stoppage of subsidy, nearly 35 per cent of Ujjal beneficiaries have stopped buying Ujjal cylinders; he pointed out.