BHUBANESWAR: The ruling BJD on Monday demanded reduction of Central Excise duty on petrol and diesel and immediate rollback of hike in fuel price.
Senior leaders including Ministers, MLAs, youth, student and women wing activists of BJD staged a dharna in front of Raj Bhawan here and announced to take the issue to people across the State. Stating that that there has been ‘abnormal increase’ in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices which has affected the lives and livelihood of people across the country including Odisha, the party said it has hit all sections of the society.
“It is unfortunate that the Union Government remains a mute spectator to the fuel price rise and is not taking any effective steps to reduce it,” the BJD said in a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind which was handed over to Governor Ganeshi Lal.
“It is astonishing that while the present international crude oil price is around 20.5 per cent lower than what it was in 2011, the benefits have not been passed on to the people”, the memorandum stated. BJD general secretary Sanjay Dasburma alleged that there has not been resultant reduction in prices of petrol and diesel as the Centre has not reduced excise duty to pass on the benefit to the common people.