Ludhiana, May 26 -- Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab state spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal on Monday strongly criticised the Punjab government for what he termed as its "double standards" on fuel prices, stating that while the state government continues to blame the Centre over rising fuel costs, it is itself imposing heavy taxes and earning substantial revenue from petrol and diesel sales.

He said that the Punjab government is currently levying 16.58% Value-Added Tax (VAT) along with an additional 10% tax on petrol, resulting in approximately Rs.18-19 per litre being collected in taxes. Similarly, on diesel, the state is charging 13.10% VAT along with an additional 10% tax, amounting to nearly Rs.13-14 per litre.

He stated that despit...