Harish accuses Bandi of telling lies

Hyderabad: Accusing BJP State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar of telling lies during his padayatra, Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Saturday said that the Centre was collecting Rs 27.9 per litre as cess on the petroleum, which the State doesn't get as revenue.

He said that the prices of petroleum products were not increasing because of the crude oil prices in the international markets but because of the cess imposed by the Centre.

Addressing a press conference along with MLAs C Dharma Reddy, A Jeevan Reddy and Ch Kranti, Harish Rao said that the Centre has been taking away revenue of the State government by collecting cess. The cess on petrol during 2014 was Rs 9.48 per litre but now in 2022 it is Rs 27.90 per litre. Similarly, the cess on diesel during 2014 was Rs 3.54 but now it is Rs 21.80 per litre. This means that the Centre which used to get Rs 1,76,065 crore during 2014, now is getting Rs 4,55,069 crore, which is three times more, said Harish Rao.

The Finance Minister said that the BJP government was not honouring the recommendations of the Finance Commission. He said that as per the 13th Finance Commission, the state should have got Rs 1,129 crore, under 14th FC state should have got Rs 817 crore, 15th FC the State should have got Rs 1,103. Collectively the State should get Rs 7,183 crore which is pending with the Centre, he said.

Taking objection to the comments of Bandi Sanjay that there was Centre's share in every programme of the state government, Harish Rao said that if that was the case, why schemes implemented in Telangana were not reflected in other States ruled by the BJP government.

He challenged the BJP chief to show the Dalit Bandhu, Rythu Vedika, tractors in Gram Panchayats in nearby Raichur district in Karnataka.

Harish Rao said that the Centre spends 41 per cent of the money which it gets from States. However, the Centre has been spending just 29.6 per cent of the total money. Why is the cess money not being spent on the States, he asked. He said that the TRS chief had fought for the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme and solved the problem by constructing Tummilla lift irrigation within eight months and providing water to 55,000 acres.