Vinod Kumar wants center to withdraw cess on petroleum products too

Karimnagar: Welcoming the union government’s decision to repeal three farm laws, Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman B Vinod Kumar wanted the center to withdraw cess being collected on petroleum products and return the amount collected so far back to states. Not only farm laws, the central government should also withdraw cess on petroleum projects. Commenting […]

Karimnagar: Welcoming the union government’s decision to repeal three farm laws, Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman B Vinod Kumar wanted the center to withdraw cess being collected on petroleum products and return the amount collected so far back to states. Not only farm laws, the central government should also withdraw cess on petroleum projects. Commenting on the state BJP’s proposed agitation demanding the state government to reduce its tax on petroleum projects, he made it clear that except Rs 2, state government never hiked VAT during the last six and half years period. However, the union government hiked 18 times.

Though the crude oil price at the international market was Rs 35, the union government collected heavy cess from the states, he informed and wanted the central to return the amount back to states. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Vinod Kumar said that central government has revoked farm laws in the eve of elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh since a slogan “BJP ko Hatao Desh ku Bachao” (Defeat the BJP and protect the country ) has been reverberated in north India.

The Chief Minister K Chandrashekahar Rao’s dharna along with MLA, MLCs, MPs and other senior TRS leaders was also one of the reasons for the union government to withdraw farm laws. During the dharna, the Chief Minister warned to stage protest demonstration at Delhi by mobilizing farmers across the country. The BJP government had to face the ire of the farming community as it passed farm laws in both houses of the parliament without discussing them.

Besides farmers agitation during the last one year, intellectuals and senior politicians also advised to withdraw anti-farmers laws. However, the central government failed to change its decision. Moreover, it attacked farmers. Unfortunately, 1,200 farmers died, he said and wanted the union government to provide financial assistance to the kind of the deceased farmers. Vinod Kumar found fault with BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar for provoking the farmers to sow paddy crops in Yasangi season while the union government was asking the farmers not to sow paddy. Sanjay Kumar was running a separate BJP party in the state, he questioned.

BJP leader, who was provoking the farmers to sow paddy, was trying to make it an issue if the state government failed to purchase it after the yield was arrived. Though the sowing time for Yasangi season has arrived, farmers were still in a dilemma whether to sow paddy or not due to BJP leader’s statements. Being an MP, it was not proper on the part of Sanjay Kumar to make such kind of misleading statements to get political mileage. Commenting on the central government’s statement released on Thursday that it would not purchase paraboild rice in the Yasangi season, he sought reaction from Sanjay Kumar on the center’s statement.

Vinod Kumar criticized the union government for not allocating Urea, DAP and Potash to Telangana despite requests on a number of occasions. On the eve of elections to Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the central government was supplying more fertilizer to those states to get benefit in polls.