CM Siddaramaiah challenges PM Modi's statements on Congress manifesto
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a strong response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments regarding the Congress manifesto. Siddaramaiah welcomed Modi to Karnataka, referring to him as the "lord of lies," and urged him to introspect if he has a conscience. The CM posed several questions to Modi, demanding clarification on various statements made by him.
Siddaramaiah questioned Modi's assertion that the Congress party, if elected, would conduct a survey of the country's wealth and distribute it to Muslim families with seven children. He challenged Modi to provide evidence for this claim and asked for clarification on which page of the Congress manifesto this promise was made. He also demanded an apology from Modi if these accusations were found to be false.
Regarding the issue of inheritance tax, Siddaramaiah clarified that the Congress manifesto does not mention anything about imposing such a tax. He explained that while Sam Pitroda had mentioned the topic for discussion, it was not part of the party's official platform. Siddaramaiah pointed out that it was Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a colleague of Modi, who had initiated discussions on inheritance tax. He questioned whether Sitharaman would now be labeled a traitor.
Siddaramaiah also criticized Modi's government for reducing corporate tax rates, which he claimed resulted in a loss of revenue amounting to Rs 1.81 lakh crore. He accused the government of favoring corporate entities over the welfare of the poor.
The Chief Minister highlighted the Congress party's commitment to conducting a social and economic survey in the country to ensure equal distribution of wealth, as envisioned by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. He accused Modi of distorting the Congress's goal of equitable wealth distribution and challenged him to openly declare if he opposes the constitutional ideals of economic and social democracy.
Siddaramaiah concluded by questioning Modi's policies on loan waivers for farmers and the privatization of public-owned enterprises. He accused Modi of favoring wealthy businessmen over the interests of farmers and the public.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
