'Centre should bring petrol, diesel under VAT'

Former union minister for petroleum and BJP leader Ram Naik on Monday said that the Centre should bring petrol and diesel under the value added tax (VAT) net to ensure a uniform price across the country.

Naik, on a day-long visit to Goa, informed mediapersons that kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were being charged 4 per cent sales tax throughout the country after being brought under VAT, while states were levying different rates on petrol and diesel.

Blaming the Centre for "steep increase in prices of essential commodities" during the last two-and-a-half years, Naik said that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had kept prices under check even when international prices sky-rocketed.

"In spite of increasing international price of crude, the NDA Government had not increased the price of LPG. But, the present government had increased it twice, by more than Rs 50 after it assumed office," he added.

"The steep hike in petroleum prices during the the United Progressive Alliance government has fuelled price rise."

Naik said that the NDA government, to reduce the import burden, had introduced 5 per cent ethanol blending in petrol. However, the present government stopped purchasing ethanol from sugarcane farmers. After realising its folly, it resumed the purchase, he claimed.

The bio-diesel programme launched by the previous government was moving at a snail's pace imperilling thousands of farmers cultivating jatropha.

Naik said that the BJP's national executive committee had decided to launch a nation-wide campaign on Vande Mataram. "This will educate people about the history of the song and conduct camps to explain its significance."