ITANAGAR : Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao, on Sunday accused the Congress party of “misleading the public” over rising fuel prices and alleged that higher taxes imposed by Congress-ruled states were responsible for the sharp variation in petrol and diesel rates across the country.

Sharing comparative fuel price charts on social media, Gao claimed that several Congress-ruled states were charging significantly higher prices for petrol and diesel due to higher Value Added Tax (VAT) and additional state levies.

The BJP MP stated that Congress-ruled states like Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka currently have higher fuel prices than many BJP-ruled states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

“Congress is busy misleading people on fuel prices while hiding the truth from the public. In many Congress-ruled states, petrol and diesel are costlier because of higher VAT and additional state taxes compared to several BJP-ruled states,” Gao stated.

He further alleged that instead of indulging in “political drama and hypocrisy,” Congress leaders should explain why consumers in their own states were paying more for fuel.

“People deserve facts, not misinformation. Congress is busy creating political drama while ignoring the high taxes imposed by its own state governments,” Gao said.

The BJP MP’s remarks came amid an ongoing political exchange between the BJP-led Centre and opposition parties following recent hikes in petrol and diesel prices across the country. Congress leaders have accused the union Government of burdening common citizens with repeated fuel price increases, while the Centre has maintained that state-level taxes are a major factor behind the final retail prices.

According to recent reports, the Centre has argued that although central excise duty remains uniform nationwide, fuel prices differ from state to state because of varying VAT rates and local cesses imposed by state governments.

The debate over fuel pricing has intensified in recent weeks after multiple revisions in petrol and diesel prices amid global crude oil volatility linked to the West Asia crisis.

Gao also highlighted India’s fuel price management during the recent global energy crisis, claiming that India witnessed a comparatively lower increase in petrol prices than several other countries despite international market disruptions. (Source: UNI)