Centre's Reduction In Fuel Prices Too Little: TRS

Telangana minister T Harish Rao today slammed the union government's decision to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel by around Rs. 10 per litre and Rs. 8 per litre respectively, saying that the reductions were too little.

Speaking to the media, Rao said that the Centre had increased the fuel prices by 75% but slashed them by only 25%.

He demanded that the BJP government show courage and roll back the excise duty on petrol and diesel to the level that it was in 2014.

"If the Modi government really wants to give relief to the common man, then the excise duty should be reduced to the level of 2014. Then, the prices of diesel and petrol will be reduced drastically and the common man will get relief from inflation," Rao said.

He also found fault with the Telangana BJP leaders hailing the decision by the Modi government to reduce the fuel prices.

Responding to a question on the possibility of the emerging new coronavirus variant spreading in Telangana, the health minister said that there was no need to press the panic button over the that, and that only one case of the variant had been registered so far and all contacts of the affected person had tested negative.