Fuel price hike: SAD MLAs ride to Punjab Assembly on bullock carts

The MLAs of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday rode to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on bullock carts, demanding a reduction in the tax levied by the state government on petrol and diesel.

Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, SAD MLA from the Sahnewal constituency, told ANI that taxes on petrol and diesel are so high that people are unable to afford these items.

"The Punjab government is fooling the people of the state. The government has levied taxes to the extent that it has become almost impossible for people to buy petrol and diesel. It is true that the central government has increased the price of petrol and diesel but if the Punjab government takes back the taxes then it will be easy for the people to buy the fuels," he said.

The rates of petrol and diesel differ from state to state depending on the value-added tax (VAT), a type of indirect tax levied on a product whenever a value is added at each stage of the supply chain, from production to the point of sale.

Currently, the petrol price in Chandigarh is at Rs 87.73 per litre and that of diesel is Rs 81.17.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier said that the only way to find a solution to the problem is that the Centre and states should hold a dialogue. "I concede that's where action has to be, let's see what we can do," said Sitharaman, adding that she agrees the end-users should pay less for fuel.