Chhattisgarh CM demands withdrawal of cess on petrol, diesel introduced in Union budget

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday demanded that cess on petrol and diesel introduced in the Union Budget should be withdrawn claiming that it would result in inflation.

"Cess on petrol and diesel introduced in the Union Budget should be withdrawn. It will burden the common people and cause inflation. It is not good if only the Centre receives the cess revenue," Baghel told the reporters on Sunday.

The Chief Minister was speaking to reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur before leaving for his visit to the poll-bound state of Assam.

During his budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the imposition of Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC) of Rs 2.5 per litre on petrol and Rs 4 per litre on diesel.However, there would be no additional burden on the consumer overall as Sitharaman during Budget presentation also proposed to reduce Basic Customs Duty on these items.

Responding to a question about his meeting with Union Minister Piyush Goel on Friday, Baghel stated, "A delegation of ten ministers accomped me in the meeting and every minister informed about the progress of work being done in their respective departments."

"We discussed the promises we were able to keep and what work is yet to be taken up in that direction," he added.

Baghel is one of the Congress Chief Ministers appointed as senior observer for overseeing election campaign management and coordination in the poll-bound Assam.

( With inputs from ANI )