KT Rama Rao demands Centre’s apology on rising fuel prices

In an open letter to the Centre, the Minister KT Rama Rao said the only way to escape from the Centre’s blood thirst was to get drive the BJP away from power

Hyderabad: Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of looting the common man like dacoits using fuel prices and of pathetically failing to cut down the prices despite sliding crude oil prices, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao demanded that the Narendra Modi government should apologize to the nation.

In an open letter to the Centre here on Thursday, the Minister said the only way to escape from the Centre’s blood thirst was to get drive the BJP away from power. It was high time that the Modi government stopped looting the people, failing which the saffron party would be taught a fitting lesson, he said, also charging the BJP of hatching conspiracies to prevent discussions on such crucial issues in the Parliament.

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All these days, the Centre had cited international crude oil prices as the reason for escalating fuel prices, but these deceitful tactics were exposed, he said, pointing out that the Centre itself was making tall claims over importing crude oil at lower prices from Russia on one hand, but was not passing on the benefits to the common people.

The Modi government’s claims of savings of Rs.35,000 crore on crude oil imports had benefited only a few oil companies, he said. “In fact, the union government is importing crude oil at lower prices from Russia, refining it and selling the same to other countries. This is being hidden from public domain,” he said.

In 2013, the cost of crude oil barrel was US $110 and the cost of litre petrol was Rs.76. Now, when the cost of crude oil barrel had slumped to US$66, the cost of a litre of petrol was Rs.110, Rama Rao pointed out, adding that fuel prices were not being slashed despite the slump in crude oil, just to benefit a few corporate companies.

Since 2014, fuel prices had gone up by 45 per cent and there was a cascading effect on all essential commodity prices, which was shattering the budgets of low and middle income groups, he said.

This apart, the Centre’s failure to reduce fuel prices was forcing public transport organizations to increase fares, which was eventually affecting the general public, the Minister said, adding that amidst the failure and illogical stand of the BJP government, inflation was also at a 45-year high.

With crude oil price now sliding to US$70 per barrel, the Minister demanded that the Centre abolish the cess on fuel prices. Though the Telangana government did not increase VAT since 2014, the Centre had amassed Rs.30 lakh crore through cess on fuel prices, he pointed out.

The Minister also took a dig at a few union Ministers who called for bringing fuel prices under GST. “The LPG cylinder price, which is under GST, has shot up from Rs.400 to Rs.1200, making it the highest LPG cylinder price in the world,” Rama Rao said, seeking an explanation why the Centre could not control LPG prices despite it being under GST.

Four BJP MPs should be accountable 

Industries Minister KT Rama Rao wanted the four BJP MPs from the State to be held accountable for the Centre’s outrageous violation of the assurances made under the AP Reorganisation Act.

Stating that the Centre continued to deny a rail coach factory for Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State of Gujarat was sanctioned a Rs.20,000 crore locomotive coach factory, he said, also asking why the Prime Minister should be given priority in Telangana, when he has not sanctioned the coach factory, the turmeric board, Phase II of the Hyderabad Metro, ITIR project, Tribal University, Bayyaram Steel factory and national status to irrigation projects in the State.

“Why should the Prime Minister feature in Telangana people’s priorities, when the State does not feature in the Prime Minister’s priority list and why should BJP continue in Telangana?” he asked in a tweet on Thursday.