The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislative group on Thursday travelled to the Punjab Assembly in bullock carts to register a protest against the Congress government’s “refusal” to give relief from high diesel and petrol prices to farmers as well as the common man.

The legislative group also staged a walkout on this issue when the government refused to give an assurance that it would reduce State tax on petroleum products, which is levied in the form of value added tax (VAT).

Earlier in the morning, SAD legislators led by Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Bikram Singh Majithia led a protest astride bullock carts to the Assembly to focus attention on the “callousness” of the Congress government for not paying heed to the demand to reduce prices on petroleum products by at least Rs five per litre

The legislators while raising slogans of “lokan nu lutna band karo” (stop looting the people) and “VAT ghat karo” (reduce the VAT) also took on Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar for trying to “befool” Punjabis by refusing to put pressure on his government to reduce VAT on petroleum products.

SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon also raised the issue during zero hour and demanded an assurance from the government that it would reduce VAT on petrol and diesel immediately. When the treasury benches failed to pay heed to this demand, the SAD legislators staged a walkout on this issue.

Dhillon while speaking on this issue said the SAD was ready to join the state government and approach the Centre to reduce the prices of petroleum products. “We are even ready to go to Delhi and hold a protest on this issue. However before this is done the Congress government must come to the aid of farmers and the common man by reducing VAT on petrol and diesel,” he said adding the VAT of 27.5 per cent of petrol and 17.5 per cent on diesel was amongst the highest in the country.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Majithia said it was finance minister Manpreet Badal and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s responsibility to reduce the steep VAT being imposed on petroleum products in Punjab.

He said instead of doing this the Congress government was playing a “fixed match” with the Centre as each hike in prices of petroleum products resulted in a similar hike in VAT. “Instead of tackling this issue, the State government is trying to shift its responsibility to the Centre,” the SAD leader added.