Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel as 'unfair' and said that this increase should be withdrawn. He tweeted, "The ongoing fight with the Corona virus is causing severe financial hardship for our crores of brothers and sisters. At this time, instead of lowering prices, the government's decision to raise taxes on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 and Rs 13 per liter is unfair and should be withdrawn. "

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said that it is not appropriate to impose tax burden on people in times of crisis. He said, "The new or higher tax will bankrupt the families. When economic activity is stagnant, governments should borrow to meet their deficit, and should not increase the tax burden. "

The central government on Tuesday night increased the excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 per liter and on diesel by Rs 13 per liter. Last month, Brent crude oil price hit a low of $ 18.10 per barrel due to lack of demand due to Corona virus infection, this was the lowest price since 1999. However, thereafter there was a slight increase in prices and it reached $ 28 per barrel.