Fuel costs: Cong slams govt, Rahul calls it ‘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.