Vijayawada: The BJP on Saturday demanded that the state government reduce petrol and diesel prices and bring them on par with what the Union government had achieved.
The party staged protests against the indifferent attitude of the YSRC government as it is yet to decrease petrol and diesel prices. BJP national executive committee member Kanna Lakshminarayana recalled that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised during his Prajasankalpa padayatra that he would reduce state cess on petrol and diesel but he was yet to take any step in that direction.
Party leaders and cadre staged a dharna in front of the Guntur collectorate. Lakshminarayana stated that the Union government had reduced Rs 5 and Rs 10 excise duty on every litre of petrol and diesel, respectively. He stated that BJP-led state governments had also decreased VAT. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged all state governments to slash state taxes. He claimed that a reduction in excise duty on diesel would benefit the farming community during Rabi. He warned of intensifying their protests till the government reduces prices of petrol and diesel.
Party leaders Sannakayala Aruna, Patibandla Ramakrishna, and V. Jaiprakash Narayan said that the response to their dharnas had been successful across all districts.
