BJP dichotomy: Protest in Delhi; VAT hike in State

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi

RANCHI | Thursday, February 11, 2010

The BJP in the Opposition in New Delhi and the BJP in the power in Jharkhand thinks differently when it comes to price hike and aam admi.

The BJP national president, Nitin Gandkari, has announced to organise demonstration in front of Parliament to expose the Central Government’s inaction in arresting the price hike of essential goods.

In Jharkhand, the State Government with the BJP as a key ally and Raghuwar Das of the BJP as the Finance Minister decided to put extra load on the aam admi by increasing Value Added Tax on diesel in Jharkhand.

The decision of the State Government to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) of diesel from 14.50 per cent to 20 per cent has irked the petroleum dealers.

After the decision taken by the Cabinet on Wednesday there will be an increase in the current price of diesel by a minimum of Rs 1.50 to Rs 1.75.

A delegation of Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers Association is scheduled to meet the Chief Minister Shibu Soren and the deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das to rollback the decision.

Addressing a press conference the president of the association Askoka Singh termed the decision illogical and anti-people.

“While in New Delhi the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari has been announcing to gherao Indian Parliament to protest against the inability of the Central government to arrest price hike they are doing opposite in Jharkhand,” Singh said.

Stating that after the State Government decided an addition of 4.50 per cent of VAT on the diesel the price of the essential things will increase.

Singh said that the decision will also hamper the business of the petroleum product in Jharkhand if the decision is implemented. “Nobody will like to do trade with us because of the exorbitant tax in comparison to other neighbouring states of Jharkhand.

For instance it is 17 per cent in West Bengal and an additional cess of Rs one. In Bihar and Orissa it is around 18.36 and 18 per cent respectively.

Singh said that in the past the BJP Government had taken similar decision when Das was the finance minister had increased the taxes from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. The association had waged a protracted campaign to persuade the State Government to roll back the decision. Later on the then Finance Minister Stephen Marandi of the UPA Government decided to reduce the price from 20 to 18 per cent.

Meanwhile, the state Congress had protested the decision of the State Government and termed it as anti-people. “This is BJP hypocrisy. One hand the BJP is planning to raise demonstration in front of the parliament against the price hike, but in Jharkhand they have been putting extra burden on the common man by increasing the price of diesel,” senior Congress leader Alko Kumar Dubey said.

The Congress has announced to protest the decision of the State Government. The party will burn the effigy of the State Government and the Finance Minister Raghuwar Das on Thursday, Dubey informed.