HYDERABAD: In order to pressurise the State government to bring down value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar has instructed various affiliated bodies of the party to hold peaceful protests in all district headquarters every day from November 29 till December 7. During a teleconference with the party’s office-bearers on Sunday, he called for a dharna on bullock carts by party workers in all district headquarters on November 29 and 30.
On December 1, BJYM activists would protest with black badges and on December 2, Mahila Morcha activists would display banners depicting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s ‘anti-people’ policies. It would be followed by the SC Morcha holding dharnas at Ambedkar statues on December 3 and the OBC Morcha holding dharnas at Gandhi statues on December 4. Dharnas would be held by ST Morcha on December 5, Kisan Morcha on December 6 and by Minority Morcha on December 7.
Sanjay Kumar said the State government was hesitant to reduce the VAT on petrol and diesel from 35.2 per cent, despite the Centre reducing excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 and on diesel by Rs 10, and 23 States, including Congress-ruled States, following suit. Between last May and this December, he said the State government had increased the price of petrol by Rs 8.83 and that of diesel by Rs 5.68 by hiking VAT.