Congress promises LPG cylinder at Rs 500 if it comes to power in 2024, slams Centre for fresh hike

The Congress leader was responding to the latest hike of Rs 50 per domestic LPG cylinder which took the total price to Rs 1,100 per cylinder. The prices of commercial LPG cylinders were also hiked on Wednesday by Rs 350. Reports ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:The Congress on Wednesday promised to provide LPG cylinder at Rs 500 if the party was voted to power in 2024 saying the party had a "pro-poor focus" while the Centre had other priorities. "We take a vow that if we come to power in 2024, the Congress government will not allow the price of an LPG cylinder to be over Rs 500. Any price above Rs 500 is harmful for inflation and GDP growth,” Congress spokesperson Prof Gourav Vallabh said.

The Congress leader was responding to the latest hike of Rs 50 per domestic LPG cylinder which took the total price to Rs 1,100 per cylinder. The prices of commercial LPG cylinders were also hiked on Wednesday by Rs 350. “It shows the priority of the government, which is to help their friends become richer. The Congress always had a pro-poor focus,” he said.

The Congress leader cited data to claim that while the previous UPA government gave a subsidy of over Rs 2 lakh crore from 2004 to 2014 to keep the domestic LPG prices below Rs 500, the Modi government had given subsidy worth only Rs 36,000 cr over the past eight years. Also, the Congress leader claimed, the Modi government had not passed off any benefit to the consumers despite the fact that prices of crude oil has reduced by 40 percent over the past six months.

“Instead, the Centre now levies 5 percent GST on domestic LPG. This government only knows how to take money from people’s pockets while it teaches them about their duties,” said Prof Vallabh. The Congress leader cited the example of party-ruled Rajasthan saying that while chief minister Ashok Gehlot who has meagre resources had announced that he will provide domestic LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to half of the state’s population from April 2023, the Centre had done nothing to provide comfort to the common man.

“The fresh LPG price hike coming just days before the Holi festival has come as a shocker to the housewives. Due to this hike, which also includes commercial LPG, the cost of other items would go up and further pinch the common man,” said Prof Vallabh. “Learn from Rajasthan which has shown the way and follow suit. We demand the government of India to immediately roll back the LPG prices and keep domestic LPG cylinder at Rs 500,” he said.

“This is festival season. People will go buy sweets and savouries and find the items selling at higher prices as the sweet shops use commercial LPG cylinders,” he said. According to the Congress leader the party always had a pro-poor focus and therefore has mentioned in its economic resolution passed at the recent Plenary Session in Raipur that if the party comes to power in 2024, it will reduce taxation on consumption-based items.

“We know that high LPG and petrol and diesel prices further push up the inflation which affects the GDP growth of the country,” said Prof Vallabh. “Our focus is that while the nation must create wealth, the same must be equally distributed among the poor. At present, 50 percent of GST revenues come from the poor who own just 3 percent of the country’s wealth,” he added.