Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Slamming the central government for the hike in petrol prices, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Friday said liqour was now cheaper than petrol in Maharashtra.
"Wah re Congress tera khel, sasti daru par mehenga tel" (What a game, Congress: Liqour is cheaper than petrol), Thackeray said in an editorial in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamna'.
Criticising the Congress-led government for the "16th oil price hike" in three years, Thackeray said instead of protecting the 'aam aadmi', the Congress had strangled the poor.
"At the rate prices of oil are going up, it will be soon impossible for people to afford keeping two or four wheeler vehicles. The latest hike will also have a cascading effect on all sectors of the economy and fuel huge inflation," he warned.
He said though India acquired petrol at around Rs.35 a litre from the international market, by the time it reaches the consumer it costs nearly Rs.80 due to eight different types of taxes.
"If these state taxes are removed, petrol prices can be slashed by half. But the government will not let go off this huge revenue running into billions of rupees," he lamented.
The Sena chief expressed doubt that the petrol price hike would be followed by increase in prices of diesel and cooking gas. "That would be political suicide for the government," he said.
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