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Journalism of Courage
Joining the race to woo the common man in an election year, the BJP on Thursday directed its governments in states to cut taxes on petroleum products.
BJP Chief Rajnath Singh spoke to the Chief Ministers of seven party-ruled states and asked them to effect a cut in taxes to provide some relief to the common man, party spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
BJP’s move came along with a similar step by the Congress, whose president Sonia Gandhi also directed the party’s governments in states to cut sales tax on fuels.
Rudy expressed apprehension that the Congress-led Centre might not compensate the BJP-ruled states as it had been ‘neglecting’ these states in the last four years of its rule.
“Despite this, we are cooperating to provide relief to the common man,” he said.
He questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion to the state governments to reduce the taxes and levies on petrol, diesel and other petro products.
“Where is the morality of the Centre to ask the states, whom they have been calling black marketeers and hoarders, to come to its rescue. Several ministers and Congress leaders have been calling states black marketeers and hoarders,” he said.
Rudy was critical of the central government for putting the responsibility of taming inflation on the states also. “It is the primary responsibility of the Centre to check price rise,” he added.
