Act of revenge by Congress as Party got single-digit result in 2024 Lok Sabha polls: BJP

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday pinned the blame for the recent fuel price hike on the GST regime, saying it had left the State Government with very few options for additional resource mobilisation except tapping auto fuels even as the BJP leaders protested taking to streets including on bullock carts, and trucking organisations threatening Statewide strikes. 

Addressing a press conference at Home Office ‘Krishna’, the CM  explained how the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre created an environment in which the necessity of tax increase was inevitable and also explained the situation created what he called ‘due to non-payment of the State’s share’.

“The Central Government collects GST and taxes from sources like Income Tax, Central Excise Duty, etc. The State Government has no source except stamp duty and registration charges, motor vehicle taxes, sales tax on petrol, diesel and excise duty on alcoholic beverages,” he said. 

The price hike, the CM said, would generate about Rs. 3,000 crore, all of which would go into people’s welfare programmes, unlike in the BJP era, where he alleged, 40 percent of the money went into leaders’ pockets. 

The Chief Minister claimed that after 2015, even when the price of crude oil was reduced by half in the international market, the Modi Government continuously raised the price of fuel without giving the benefit to the people of the country.

“The State Government is spending Rs. 60,000 crore rupees for guarantee schemes. This amount goes to the poor and middle class of all castes and communities. The current marginal increase in diesel-petrol tax will generate additional resources of only Rs. 3,000 crore,” he noted. 

Defending the rise in oil prices, the Chief Minister explained that despite the rise in prices, the State’s petrol and diesel prices are lower than neighbouring States and BJP-ruled States.

Earlier in the day, the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka led a protest on a bullock cart in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park against the Government’s move. Speaking at the protest, State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra said the protests would continue till the Government rolled back the hike. 

The BJP-JD(S) alliance called it an act of ‘revenge’ against the people of Karnataka for ‘not supporting’ Congress in the recent LS elections, in which it scored less than expected 9/28. 

It attributed the fuel-price decision to the Siddaramaiah Government’s mismanage-                               ment of finances due to guarantee schemes.

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said this will negatively impact the State’s finances, leading to inflation. 

Truckers protest on cards?

The Congress regime insists that the hike was necessary to fund the State’s guarantee programmes and development projects. Citizens, however, are in an uproar, with some trucker organisations saying they would organise protests across the State in retaliation. 

Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association President C. Naveen Reddy said the price hike would mean truckers’ salaries would have to be increased to absorb the costs. “This will drive up the prices of everything, even essentials like milk and vegetables,” he said. The Federation plans to meet on June 18 (today) to decide on its next move, he added.