Condemning the reduction of fuel prices by just 1 paisa per litre after 16 days of relentless price hikes, the Congress on Wednesday said it would start a social media campaign on June 2 to express its anguish.
The Tweet Morcha will involve mobilising people to tweet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the issue, and suggest ways to reduce fuel prices, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said.
“Fuel prices are being increased since the last 16 days. Now, the petrol and diesel prices have been reduced by 1 paise. This is a cruel joke and we condemn it.”
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Mr. Nirupam and prominent Twitter users including author Sucheta Dalal will gather at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh on June 2 to start the campaign. “Maharashtra collects nearly 40% Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol per litre. We will tweet Mr. Fadnavis to reduce VAT on petrol,” he said.
Central Excise duty has been increased by 211% on petrol and 400% on diesel in the last four years, he claimed. “We’ll ask the PM to reduce excise duty on petrol, and remove these two taxes on fuel and bring it under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is 28 per cent,” the Congress leader said.
The party will soon release hashtags for posts seeking reduction in fuel prices, he said. “Recently, we were out on streets to protest the fuel hike, but there are people who prefer to comment online rather than taking to the streets. This is our endeavour to mobilise this section.”
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Meanwhile, the NCP organised a morcha against fuel price hike in the eastern suburbs. NCP spokesman Nawab Malik led the protest by riding a bullock cart while party workers pushed their two-wheelers instead of riding them.