Hyderabad: Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna on Friday called the fuel excise cut on petrol and diesel “too little, too late” and said the Centre had acted only after years of imposing heavy taxes on consumers. He said the Rs.10 per litre reduction came belatedly and argued that the BJP-led NDA government had already forced the public to bear high fuel prices for a decade.
Vamsi said the move did not erase the burden placed on the common man over the years. He argued that retail fuel prices had remained high even when global crude oil prices were lower. Therefore, he said the Centre could not now present itself as acting in the public interest through a late fuel excise cut.
Vamsi alleged that the BJP government had collected nearly Rs.25 lakh crore to Rs.30 lakh crore from the public by keeping petrol and diesel prices elevated despite lower crude prices. He said the government had used the tax route to raise large revenues while consumers paid more at the pump.
He also contrasted the present decision with the United Progressive Alliance period. According to Vamsi, petrol prices had been significantly lower during the UPA era even when crude oil prices were higher. He said that comparison exposed the Centre’s current claim of being pro-people.
Fuel excise cut drew attack over past pricing
Vamsi said the government had raised petrol prices to at least Rs.100 per litre in the last 10 years even when crude oil traded at around 50 to 60 dollars a barrel. He argued that this pricing pattern showed the Centre had benefited from lower global oil costs without passing that advantage to consumers.
He said the latest reduction came after years of heavy collections and could not be treated as a major relief measure. Instead, he said it reflected a delayed response after sustained public burden. He also accused the BJP of ignoring the scale of taxes collected over the last decade while trying to project the decision as a people-friendly step.
Fuel excise cut row widened to LPG concerns
Vamsi also raised concerns over reported LPG shortages and panic buying in Telangana. He warned that public statements were creating anxiety and pushing people into unnecessary rush purchases. He said such messaging had contributed to fear instead of reassurance.
Referring to Hyderabad, he said people were rushing to petrol bunks to fill fuel after remarks in Parliament suggested that the Covid-period crisis conditions still continued. He described that trend as dangerous and said governments should not place the public in panic mode. He warned that such conditions could trigger avoidable public distress across the state.