Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on has accused the BJP of sponsoring Monday’s strike of 400-odd petrol pumps along with linked CNG dispensing units in the national capital. Reacting to the news of today’s strike, Kejriwal said, “Petrol pump owners have told us privately that this is a BJP sponsored strike, actively supported by oil companies. In fact, BJP has thrust it upon petrol pump owners.”
Photo courtesy: indian expressThe Delhi chief minister warned that this will prove very costly for the BJP in the coming elections particularly the next year’s Lok Sabha polls. Kejriwal said that ‘people will give BJP a befitting reply in elections for continuously inconveniencing people through their dirty politics.’
The petrol pumps owners in have gone on strike in protest against Delhi government’s refusal to reduce VAT on fuels at the behest of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association. These petrol pumps and their linked CNG stations will be shut for 24 hours. The strike has come into effect at 6 am on Monday morning.
DPDA president Nischal Singhania was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, “The central government had slashed the rate of petrol and diesel by Rs 2.50 per litre each on 4 September. This was followed by reduction of VAT (value added tax) by various states including neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, bringing relief to their residents. “But, the Delhi government refused to reduce VAT on fuel both petrol and diesel resulting in fuel becoming more expensive than bordering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.”
Singhania said that customers were preferring to buy petrol and diesel from neighbouring states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh since the prices were cheaper there. He alleged that due to difference in prices, there has been a sharp drop of 50-60% in sale of diesel in Delhi and 25% in petrol in this quarter.
Both the BJP and Kejriwal’s AAP have been at loggerheads over the fuel prices. While Kejriwal has targeted the saffron party-led central government has been responsible for allowing the fuel prices to reach a historic high. The BJP, for its part, has blamed the AAP government for not reducing the VAT levied by the state government.