Withdraw cess, bring fuel under GST: Baalu

New Delhi (India), July 8 (ANI) DMK leader TR Baalu on Monday criticized government's proposal of cess on petrol and diesel by Rs 1 and urged the government to withdraw it at the earliest and bring the fuel under the ambit of GST.
"Public is suffering, the common men are suffering. This is very much an awful thing. This government will be pulled down because of this reason. It affects the farmers, it affects the petty shop owners and it affects everybody," Baalu said in Lok Sabha while participating in the debate on union Budget 2019-20.
"This has to be withdrawn forthwith and at the same time they should introduce GST on petrol and diesel without any loss of time," he added.
He said when the UPA government increased the fuel price by just 10 paise, the present ruling party (BJP) had protested.
"They used to jump from ground to sky. But now they have got the guts to increase the price of petrol by Rs 2.57 and that of diesel by Rs 2.30 per litre," he said.
He said the people of Tamil Nadu had nothing to cheer about the Budget except Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman quoting of Puranaanooru.
"Neither myself nor my leader M.K. Stalin, nor the Members of Parliament nor the people of Tamil Nadu received any cheers from the budget. But at the same time we had a sigh of relief when the Finance Minister quoted Purananuru and Pisirandaiyar of the Sangam Age," he said.
The former Union Minister said that the public debt has mounted without any check causing severe damage to the economy.
"The income is Rs 19.62 lakh crore. The expenditure is Rs. 27.86 lakh crore. Hence, the government is forced to borrow Rs 7 lakh crore. Apart from that, the National Highways Authority of India and the Food Corporation of India will be borrowing not less than Rs 4.4 lakh crore.
"Altogether approximately Rs. 11 lakh crore have to be borrowed by this government to survive," he said casting doubts over government's proposals on strengthening infrastructure projects," he said. (ANI)