Bharat Bandh to talk about rise in petroleum product, high VAT and even Rafale

New Delhi, Sep 10: The Opposition political parties plan to target the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on many economic issues during the band. Besides rising petrol and diesel prices, the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST), devaluation of Rupee and even Rafale will figure during protest.

The Congress leaders said, "We demand that petrol and diesel prices must also be brought under goods and services tax (GST) as there are 40 per cent things still out of GST and they must also be brought under GST." Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, who will be leading protest in Delhi, said that devaluation of Rupee is continuing which is a big threat to the economy of the country and the BJP did not bother to talk about it in its national executive. Maken said quoting Modi that in 2013 when Rupee was falling he had said that the Congress had sent Indian currency in ICU but now Rupee is at the lowest ebb during the Modi regime.

The Congress leaders are saying that the BJP talks about cut in VAT rates on petrol and diesel prices but they are charging maxim VAT in the BJP-ruled states. They said that the BJP-ruled states have 27 per cent VAT while the Congress ruled states like Karnataka, Punjab and Pudduchery have VAT rate at 17 per cent on petrol and diesel prices. Crude oil prices were much higher during the UPA government than today but petrol and diesel were not hiked as they are today. Rajasthan government slashed 4 per cent VAT on petroleum products on September 9 still it is very high.

The Congress leaders including Maken said that since May 2014 till today the excise duty has been increased to 211.7 per cent. In common parlance the tax that was Rs 9.2 per liter has gone up to Rs 1948 per liter while excise duty on diesel has gone up to 443.06 per cent. So the excise duty that was Rs 3.45 in May 2014 has gone up to Rs 15.33 today. The Modi government has earned Rs 11 lakh crore by imposing tax on petrol and diesel.

Besides all this the issue of Rafale will also figure in this Bandh call. The Congress leaders say that the UPA government had a deal for 108 Rafale that were to be built by Public sector Hindustan Aeronautics India Limited but the Modi government has given the contract to his friend and killed the Make In India plan.