Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Centre saying the decision to reduce excise duty on petrol and diesel was taken "out of fear" of the upcoming Assembly elections. "This is a decision out of fear, not from the heart. The vasooli government will get an answer for its loot in the coming elections," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

The central government on November 3 reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and by Rs 10 respectively which is effective starting today. Meanwhile, some state governments also reduced VAT on the two petroleum products. This comes after the Finance Ministry urged the states "to commensurately reduce" VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to consumers.