Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India] : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed Opposition parties for playing politics over petrol prices and said that the Central Government has slashed excise duty twice in two years so that it does not burn a hole in people's pocket.
"Today I want to tell the people of the country how Opposition parties are looting the pockets of poor people. For the people of the country, the central government has given relief to the people. In two years, two times the government has reduced the excise duty. But in the states where there is no BJP-led government, these Opposition parties have not transferred the benefit to the people PM Modi said in Bhopal today while addressing party workers under the BJP's "Mera Booth Sabse Majboot" campaign. He went on to say that instead of providing advantages to people, the opposition parties have raised VAT and are robbing them, and he compared petrol costs in BJP-ruled states to non-BJP-ruled states.
"Today Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand and wherever there is a BJP-led government the petrol prices in the states are less than Rs 100. But in Bihar the price of petrol is Rs 107, in Rajasthan it is Rs 108, in Telangana Rs 109 and in Kerala Rs 110. The Opposition parties are betraying the public, the poor and the middle class," he added.
He further mentioned that BJP always stands with the poor and this is the identity of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
PM Modi further came down heavily on opposition party leaders, asserting that he will not "spare anyone involved in corruption" while pledging "to take every scamster to task". "I will take every scamster to task," PM Modi said, without taking any names.
Earlier in the day, PM flagged off five Vande Bharat Express trains from the Rani Kamalapati Railway Station in Bhopal. Ahead of the flagging-off ceremony, the Prime Minister interacted with crew members of the train and some children onboard the Vande Bharat train at Rani Kamlapati railway station.
