BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the sale of petrol and diesel in Karnataka to reduce the burden of price rise on the middle class and farmers. In Karnataka, the VAT on petrol is 29.84%, and diesel 18.44%.
The BJP leader said the increase in petrol and diesel prices will not bring even a single extra paise in tax to the Central government. “The state government will earn approximately Rs 7,000 crore annually.
If the Congress government has any respect for the people, it should announce that it is ready to forego this additional revenue. It is wrong to blame only the Central government,” he said.
Ashoka said oil companies have increased prices due to the international price hike due to ongoing wars and oil prices have increased in all countries.
Vote-bank politics
Ashoka said the Congress government withdrew cases against those who attacked the police near the Ladle Mashak Darga in Aland, Kalaburagi, those who attacked a minister’s car and those who incited communal violence.
He said cases against nearly 150 people, including members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), have been dropped purely for vote-bank politics, Ashoka said, and added that such actions pose a danger to the country’s security. “It is acceptable to withdraw cases related to farmers and Kannada activists. But why are cases against those involved in communal violence withdrawn?” he said.
He accused the government of taking up a new stadium project in Anekal near Bengaluru to sell land around the stadium and earn commissions. He said Chinnaswamy stadium was meant to provide cricket training facilities, but no new talent is being trained there, and it is only open for the Indian Premier League, which brings in crores of rupees.
Cockroach party
Ashoka said the Cockroach Janata Party is a conspiracy of the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. “It is a nuisance created by a jobless Congress and a powerless Aam Aadmi Party,” he added.