AAP demands fuel prices reduction of Rs 10 a litre
New Delhi, Oct 4: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal demanded a Rs 10 per litre cut in fuel prices, hours after the Centre announced a reduction of Rs 2.5 per litre in prices of petrol and diesel on Thursday.
The Delhi chief minister said the Modi government raised excise duty on petrol from Rs 9.48 to Rs 19.48, leading to a steep rise in its price despite a sharp decline in international prices of crude oil.
"Modi government raised excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 and today reduced only Rs 2.50. This is cheating. Centre should bring down petrol prices at least by Rs 10," he said in a tweet.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari mocked the chief minister, saying his comment meant he wanted to help Delhi by reducing petrol prices by Rs 10 a litre.
"It means @ArvindKejriwal Ji wish to help Delhi by reducing Rs.10 per litre on petrol and diesel, nice gesture!! Thanks kejriwal Ji," Tiwari tweeted.
The Central government announced a Rs 2.50 a litre cut in petrol and diesel prices, factoring in excise duty reduction of Rs 1.50 per litre and asking oil companies to absorb another Re 1.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asked state governments to follow suit by cutting sales tax or VAT by a similar amount. The reduction followed petrol and diesel prices touching new highs.
Tiwari demanded the Delhi government cut VAT on petrol and diesel by Rs 2.50 per litre so that the people of Delhi may also get relief of Rs 5 per litre on the fuels as was done by governments in BJP-ruled states.
BJP's leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the Delhi government owed "much more" to Delhiites and demanded it reduce the petrol price by Rs 10.50 and diesel price by Rs 7.92 per litre.
"Union Finance Minister asking state Governments to reduce price by Rs 2.50 is not applicable to Delhi. Kejriwal government is pocketing arbitrarily increased 12 per cent VAT on petrol and 10.5 per cent VAT on diesel," Gupta charged.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj charged that the Centre is "fooling" people.
"For four years, the prices of petrol and diesel were increased and now the Centre is fooling people by decreasing it by Rs 2.50 per litre," he said.
This is an attempt of providing "fake relief" to the people in view of "dipping popularity" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and coming assembly elections in three states, Bhardwaj alleged.
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
