Minister KT Rama Rao demands Modi to reduce petrol prices

IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday demanded the union government to reduce the prices of petroleum products and relieve people from the burden in the wake of a huge drop in international crude oil prices. Seeking the immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard, he said the Modi government’s excuse that international crude oil prices are the reason for the increase in fuel prices has once again proven wrong.

He sought the immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.

In a statement here, the TRS working president stated that ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, petrol prices have been on the rise due to the inefficient policies and governance of the BJP.

Notwithstanding the international market prices, he said the Centre has been looting people of the country through collection of multiple cess. “Though the price of a barrel of crude oil has dropped to $ 95 in the international market, there is no revision of petrol or diesel rates in the country accordingly,” he said.

By the Centre’s own admission in the Parliament, more than Rs 26 lakh crore rupees were collected from the people of the



country in the forms of taxes and cess on petroleum products. Rama Rao accused The Prime minister of utilising the revenue earned through taxes and cess to waive off the corporate loans of his friends.

“The Centre had amended the existing laws and had been looting the people by collecting excess taxes and cess on petroleum products. Further, it has blaming the State governments like Telangana for the same, despite the latter not increasing the taxes on petrol prices,” he said.

Rama Rao who is also the IT and Industries Minister said the Centre had reduced the inflated prices nominally even though the international market prices fell significantly. “This is nothing but hypocrisy.

In the wake of huge inflation and post-Covid affects on the economy, the Centre must reduce the taxes and cess on petroleum products,” he demanded.

“The hollowness in the BJP’s argument blaming the international market prices for the rise in domestic prices of petroleum products, has been exposed,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Modi has been busy serving his corporate friends and handing the national properties to them at the cost of the people’s suffering.