New Delhi: Congress on Saturday asked the government to reduce the cooking gas prices back to the 2014 level to provide relief to the people. The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for domestic use was hiked again on Saturday. The 14.2 kg cylinder will cost Rs 50 more following an increase announced by Oil Manufacturing Companies (OMCs). With this, the price of a cylinder has crossed the Rs 1,000 mark.
“Bring the cooking gas prices to the 2014 level. You owe it to the people who have given you so much, who gave you two victories. This hike is hitting middle-class people hard. People are crying for relief,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said at an AICC briefing. According to Khera, the cooking gas cylinder was at Rs 414 and now costs Rs 999.50, an increase of Rs 585. Khera added that the previous UPA government faced pressure on the fuel front, but then had subsidised the LPG prices heavily to provide relief to the consumers.
The subsidy on LPG during 2012-13 was Rs 39,558 cr, which became Rs 46,458 cr in 2013-14, said Khera. “PM Modi brought it down to Rs 18 cr in 2015-16 and nil in 2016-17. He first urged people to give up the subsidy and then removed it,” said Khera.
Noting that the high fuel prices were hitting the middle and lower middle-class people hard and affecting household budgets, the Congress leader said that the UPA pulled out 23 million persons out of poverty but while the Modi government not only pushed back those 23 million into poverty, the number of poor has increased by another 14 million.
The Congress leader said that either the ruling dispensation did not know how to run a government or it did not want to listen to those who had an idea about controlling the prices of essential items. He defended the charge that Congress was not seen protesting over the price rise issue saying the party was doing that but it was not getting reflected in the media.
“Where do you see us other than the streets? Our state units are protesting these issues every day. We will keep raising such issues. This is our responsibility,” said Khera, adding “the government in fact is asking the consumers to surrender their cooking gas cylinders.” Governments, he said are expected to show a large heart especially when people are hit hard, Khera added, adding that the price of commercial LPG was hiked by Rs 100 recently. “This has a ripple effect on other prices,” he said.
Read: Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP over LPG price hike, terms it 'gift of inflation'
