A misconstrued remark by Nitin Gadkari is being widely shared on social media platforms stating he will propose a 10% additional GST (Goods and Services Tax) on diesel-powered vehicles to discourage automobile companies from manufacturing vehicles that use diesel as fuel.
Speaking at the 63rd Annual SIAM convention in New Delhi, the Union road transport minister said on Tuesday: “I am requesting the Finance Minister to impose an additional 10 percent GST on diesel engines/vehicles. This is the only way to phase out diesel vehicles”.
Sharing an image of Nitin Gadkari showing his misconstrued remarks in the text on Twitter(X), a user named Marketing Maverick wrote: “Imposing an additional 10% GST on diesel vehicles is the only way to phase out diesel vehicles”.
Another user by the name of Hormazd Sorabjee posted an image, captioning: “Nitin Gadkari addressing SIAM convention today says he would like an additional 10% GST on diesel vehicles as a pollution tax!”.
Moreover, several users shared this claim along with different captions.
FACT-CHECK
The DFRAC team searched some keywords related to the misconstrued remarks on Google and found a tweet on the official Twitter (X) handle of Nitin Gadkari clarifying his remarks over 10% additional GST on diesel vehicles. He says: “There is an urgent need to clarify media reports suggesting an additional 10% GST on the sale of diesel vehicles. It is essential to clarify that there is no such proposal currently under active consideration by the government”.
Upon further investigation, the team discovered some media reports espousing the tweet by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and describing the entire controversy due to his misconstrued remarks.
According to a news published by Indian Express, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that there is not any proposal under active consideration by the government over an additional 10 percent GST on the sale of diesel vehicles.
Furthermore, the News website, Mint published a news with the headline: “Nitin Gadkari Clarifies statement on additional tax of diesel vehicle purchase says no such plans yet”. In this news, Mint mentions: “Later clarifying the same, Gadkari took to Twitter, saying, There is an urgent need to clarify media reports suggesting an additional 10% GST on the sale of diesel vehicles. In line with our commitments to achieve Carbon Net Zero by 2070 and to reduce air pollution levels caused by hazardous fuels like diesel, as well as the rapid growth in automobile sales”.
Conclusion
DFRAC’s Fact-Check proves that Nitin Gadkari’s remarks over the GST hike on diesel vehicles are completely misconstrued on social media. Therefore, the claim of social media users is false and misleading.
