New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) Taking a dig at the BJP-led central government, Congress leader P Chidambaram today said frequent elections also brought benefits for the people and alleged that the prices of petrol and diesel were kept constant of late because of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls.

The former Union finance minister also claimed that Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on many items were reduced from 28 to 18 per cent due to the Gujarat Assembly polls last year.

"Thanks to Gujarat elections, GST rates on many items reduced from 28% to 18%. Thanks to Karnataka elections, Petrol/Diesel prices kept constant. So, frequent elections also bring benefits to people! (sic)," he said on Twitter.

Earlier, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla expressed apprehension that the BJP government would hike the petrol and diesel prices soon after the May 12 Karnataka polls and alleged that it was not doing so due to the upcoming election in the southern state.

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