'JD(S) to fight BJP, Congress over bringing petrol under GST'

Bengaluru: Ridiculing Congress party’s fight against fuel price rise, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday said his party JD(S) would fight against the alleged conspiracy of the national parties – the Congress and the BJP – to bring petrol under GST (goods and services tax).

In a series of tweets, the JD(S) second-in-command alleged that the Centre has been increasing the price of petrol against which the Congress has been protesting.

”We have taken the stand of fighting against the conspiracy by the national parties to bring petrol under GST.

We will launch a struggle…,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.

He said the Centre has been maintaining that petrol has to be brought under GST if its prices have to be reduced.

Congress too has argued that petrol under GST can reduce the price, he said.

”This being the case, one would wonder if Congress is fighting to ensure reduction in prices of petrol or to include petrol under GST?” Kumaraswamy wondered.

He said the intention of Congress is not to ensure reduction of the spiralling price of petrol, but to include it under GST though the party is not aware of the danger of such a move.

Bringing petrol under GST would amount to exploiting the States, Kumaraswamy said while alleging that both the BJP and the Congress were in favour of such exploitation.

If petrol is brought under GST, the taxes would go to the kitty of the Centre leaving the States dry with respect to revenue resources, he further said.

Such a situation would affect the development of States, said the former chief minister.