"If the Centre is serious in containing inflation and protecting the poor, it should have withdrawn the customs and excise duties on petrol and diesel to offset losses suffered by the oil companies. It should not burden the common man. The five per cent reduction in the excise on petroleum products is no use to the public', she said in a statement.
Tamil Nadu government should also reduce the sales tax on petroleum products, she said. When the common man was suffering from several problems, the latest price hike adds insult to injury, she said.
"No one will accept the Centre's reasons that the crude price has gone up in the international market. The country is not importing the entire crude from abroad. It is totally unacceptable to fix international market rates for domestic crude," she said.