Bring petrol, diesel under GST immediately: Chidambaram
New Delhi, Sep 3 : As petrol and diesel prices hit new highs on Monday, former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the Centre and states must act together to bring petrol and diesel under GST immediately.
"Relentless rise in prices of petrol and diesel is not inevitable. Because the price is built up by excessive taxes on petrol and diesel. If taxes are cut, prices will decline significantly," Chidambaram said on Twitter.
"Congress demands that petrol and diesel be brought under GST immediately.
"The Centre blaming the states is a spurious argument. BJP forgets its boast that BJP is ruling 19 States. Centre and states must act together and bring petrol and diesel under GST," he added.
Prices of petrol and diesel, already at unprecedented levels in the country, rose for the ninth consecutive day on Monday, even as analysts said the dual impact of rising oil prices and the depreciating rupee increases regulatory risks for state-run oil and gas firms.
In the national capital, petrol was sold at Rs 79.15 per litre, up from Rs 78.84 on Sunday.
In Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, the fuel was priced at Rs 82.06, Rs 82.24 and Rs 86.56 per litre, respectively, all a new record, against Rs 81.76, Rs 81.92, Rs 86.25 on Sunday.
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Bhambri-Goransson's dream run at Indian Wells ends in semifinals
Indian Wells (USA) (PTI): Indian doubles ace Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson's impressive campaign came to an end after losing in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters in California.
The unseeded pair went down 5-7, 7-6(7), 5-10 to France's Arthur Rinderknech and Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in a closely-fought contest that was decided by a tie-breaker.
Bhambri and Goransson started strongly but were edged out in the opening set.
The Indo-Swedish duo fought back to force a decider after clinching a tight second-set in the tie-breaker.
However, Rinderknech and Vacherot held their nerve in the deciding tie-breaker to seal the victory.
Despite the defeat, the tournament marked a significant milestone for the 33-year-old Indian as it was his maiden semifinal appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Earlier in the tournament, Bhambri and Goransson had produced a strong performance to reach the last-four, defeating the Austrian-Italian pair of Alexander Erler and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-6(7).
Their run also ended a two-year wait for an Indian presence in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament since Rohan Bopanna won the title at the Miami Open in 2024.
