The Narendra Modi government’s move to hike commercial LPG cylinder price by a steep Rs 933 drew flak from the Opposition on Friday, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying he had warned before that the inflationary hit would come after the state elections end.
Commercial 19-kg LPG cylinder rates were increased by Rs 195.50 per cylinder on April 1 and by Rs 114.5 on March 1. Therefore, the cost now stands at a record Rs 3,071.5 in Delhi as against Rs 2,078.50 previously.
The hikes are driven by higher global energy costs linked to the war on Iran.
“I had said it - the heat of inflation would come after the elections,” Rahul wrote in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter).
“Today, commercial gas cylinder is Rs 993 more expensive. The biggest increase in a single day. This is the election bill. A whopping 81 per cent jump in just three months. Tea stall, dhaba, hotel, bakery, sweet shop – the burden on everyone's kitchen has increased. And this will affect your plate too.
“First strike on gas, next strike on petrol-diesel,” the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha added.
“This has been presented as a ‘gift’ on Labour Day, but in reality, only a few people in this country can afford luxury, while most depend on dhabas, restaurants, and small eateries, so increasing commercial cylinder prices to Rs 993 will hurt them,” Congress leader Udit Raj told ANI.
“Ultimately, the burden will fall on workers. Rahul Gandhi had said that after the elections, inflation would rise sharply, and it has.”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the exorbitant price hike would make food expensive for common people.
"Cylinders don't get expensive; the roti-thali does. This is known only by the one who buys and eats it themselves, not by the one who goes and eats at others' places or steals from others' plates," Yadav said.
"If they had to make the cylinder expensive, they should have just made it Rs 1,000 expensive outright. Who are these BJP folks doing a favour to by not hiking the price by Rs 1,000 but just Rs 7 short of it," the Uttar Pradesh former CM said sarcastically.
K.C. Venugopal, Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha, also underlined the timing of the government’s move.
“Just as the election cycle concluded, the Modi government wasted no time in increasing the prices of LPG cylinders. The BJP’s regard for the common Indian’s suffering is limited to election gimmicks, after which they’re left to their own devices,” he said.
Instead of passing on the financial burden, he said, the government should have resorted to a solid plan to shield small eateries, restaurants, businesses and citizens linked with this industry from the price shock.
“On Labour Day, this is Modi’s gift for labourers,” CPM leader Brinda Karat told ANI. “The price of LPG touching Rs 3000, with no increase in the wage of labourers, is going to impact the lives of lakhs of poor in the country…Modiji goes big on subsidies..is it only for Ambani and Adani and for common people?”
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said common Indians were paying the price for the Modi government’s “much-publicised but hollow foreign policy” which he said has “failed to shield” India’s economy.
”The urban working class, daily wage earners, and small business owners will suffer the most. This is only the beginning; more such increases will follow, and the burden will keep shifting to citizens. This is the Modi model – mislead people during elections, and burden them after.”
Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, spokesperson for the JDU which is a key coalition partner in the NDA government at the Centre, defended the hike in commercial LPG price by saying the increase in India remains moderate compared to global fuel price trends.
“People are certainly facing difficulties, but it cannot be denied that the world today stands on the brink of a Third World War due to the crisis in West Asia,” he said. “Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the NDA government has tried to ensure that the people of India face minimal hardship."
