The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday held a nationwide protest against hike in fuel prices. Senior leaders and volunteers gathered at the party’s HQ at ITO and walked towards the BJP HQ but were detained by the police.
AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai slammed the police for detaining the “peaceful” protesters. “In the past 21 days, the Centre has been continuously increasing fuel prices across India. This is leading to price rise of essential commodities. Fuel prices should be rolled back immediately,” he said.
“At present, excise duty on petrol is ₹32.98 per litre and on diesel ₹31.83 per litre. When the Modi government came to power in 2014, the excise duty was ₹9.48 per litre on petrol and ₹3.56 per litre on diesel,” Mr. Rai added.
Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said the COVID-19 outbreak had devastated the nation as thousands have lost their jobs, and the BJP government has “ravaged their remaining savings” by increasing fuel prices.
Reacting to the protest, BJP Delhi chief Adesh Gupta said that AAP violated social distancing norms during the protest, which can weaken the fight against COVID-19. “VAT on petrol and diesel was increased significantly during the lockdown by the Delhi government. VAT on petrol was increased from 27% to 30% and diesel was also increased from 16.75% to 30%,” Mr. Gupta said.
