Amid Rafale deal row and after Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a thief, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam on Monday lashed out at the central government saying that Modi is directly involved in the Rafale scam.
Speaking on the Rafale deal row while addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Nirupam claimed that this is the biggest scam of the century and after the statements made by Former French President Francois Hollande, it is clear that PM Modi is directly part of the scam.
Hollande has made it clear that Indian government did not give them a choice but to choose Reliance as a partner for Dassault Aviation. Reliance Defence was registered 10 days before the deal happened,” Nirupam said.
Earlier, Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan said that Congress will protest on September 27 against the Rafale Deal Scam. Adding to the information, Nirupam informed that the protest will start at 11:00 in the morning and the rally will be carried out from Mahalaxmi Racecourse to August Kranti Maidan.
Also Read - Rafale Deal Row: Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan Demands PM Modi’s Resignation
Amidst the inflating fuel prices, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam on Monday slammed the central government for being “ruthlessly insensitive” and pointed out that the petrol in 13 cities across Maharashtra is being sold for more than ₹90.
In Maharashtra’s Parbhani, Amravati, Nanded, Latur, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Jalna, Hingoli, Gondia, Beed, Aurangabad, and Ratnagiri the petrol prices are already more than ₹90 per litre and are still constantly increasing. Parbhani has the highest petrol price across the state and the diesel prices in the city are set to touch the ₹80-mark.
While addressing the media, Nirupam informed that in Mumbai, the petrol prices on Monday have crossed the ₹90-mark calling it a “black day”. Nirupam further said that despite many protests, the government is not ready to regulate rising petrol and diesel prices.
We have carried out many protests, cycle marches, and announced Bharat Bandh (nationwide strike) but central and state government have taken no initiative to reduce the fuel prices. This indicates that the government is ruthlessly insensitive to people’s problem. India has never seen such inconsiderate government,” Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said.
Also Read - Petrol Prices In Mumbai Cross The ₹90 Mark!
Nirupam also stated that due to the increasing fuel prices the rates of essential commodities are also increasing including Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) products.
FMCG products are necessary for the daily use and their rates have increased from five to eight per cent in the month of October. From edible oils to Colgate toothpaste, the price of every basic commodity is inflating. Moreover, the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar is also affecting the import,” Nirupam added.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra government levies 25 per cent VAT on petrol with a surcharge of ₹9 per litre across states and 21 per cent on diesel with a surcharge of ₹1 across the state. This adds to the inflation in fuel prices by 40 to 50 per cent, Nirupam informed demanding Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed by Maharashtra government.
Maharashtra government should reduce the VAT imposed on petrol and diesel. In Punjab, the VAT levied on petrol is 50 per cent less than of Maharashtra.”
Telling Modi government to minimise the tax components such as excise duty and cess applied on petrol and diesel, Sanjay Nirupam demanded the central government to reduce the number of cesses.
If the tax is applied by the central government, it has to share the same with the state government. However, in case of a cess, the whole amount goes to the central government. Therefore, I demand Narendra Modi to remove unnecessarily imposed cess,” Nirupam said.
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Ahead of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections next year, Congress has launched its ‘Lok Sampark Abhiyaan’ across Maharashtra where they aim to aware people about the issues related to the current government.
On Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, we are launching Lok Sampark Abhiyaan across Maharashtra in more than 65,000 booths. Every member will carry a door to door campaign explaining to people about the issues related to the current government including rising fuel prices.”
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