Cong slams govt over rising fuel prices, Rahul alleges 'tax extortion'

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday attacked the government over auto fuel costing more than the rate at which aviation turbine fuel (ATF) is sold to airlines, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that the Centre was resorting to “tax extortion”.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took a dig at the government, saying it promised to make those wearing ‘hawai chappals’ travel by air but it has hiked the prices of petrol and diesel so much that it has become difficult for the middle class to travel even by road.

Tagging a media report on auto fuels costing a third more than the rate at which ATF is sold to airlines, Rahul Gandhi tweeted that this is a very serious issue — “simple needs of the people that are not being fulfilled today come before election-vote-politics”.

“I am with the people who are being cheated for the benefit of Modi’s friends and will continue to raise their voices,” the former Congress chief said in a tweet in Hindi and added “Stop #TaxExtortion”.

Priyanka Gandhi, in a tweet in Hindi, said, “Had promised that those wearing ‘hawai chappals’ (slippers) will travel by airplane. But the BJP government has hiked the prices of petrol and diesel so much that now it has become difficult for those wearing ‘hawai chappals’ and the middle class to travel even by road.” She used the hashtag ‘BJP lai mehenge din (BJP has brought expensive days)’ with her tweet.

The Congress, from its official Twitter handle, alleged that auto fuels costing a more than the rate at which ATF is sold to airlines was a proof of the Modi government’s “loot”.

Petrol and diesel prices on Sunday were hiked again by 35 paise a litre and after this hike the auto fuel was now costing a third more than the rate at which ATF is sold to airlines.

The price of petrol in Delhi rose to its highest-ever level of Rs 105.84 a litre and Rs 111.77 per litre in Mumbai, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

In Mumbai, diesel now comes for Rs 102.52 a litre; while in Delhi, it costs Rs 94.57.

Petrol used in two-wheelers and cars now costs 33 per cent more than the price at which aviation turbine fuel (ATF) is sold to airlines. ATF in Delhi costs Rs 79,020.16 per kilolitre or Rs 79 per litre. All the figures are as per Sunday’s hike.