Pawar Slams LPG Price Hike, Warns NDA Of Political Fallout
The Central government on Sunday increased the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 29: Reports
MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar on Sunday criticised the Centre over the Rs 29 increase in the price of domestic LPG cylinders, alleging that the move would further burden households already grappling with rising inflation.
Reacting to the hike, Mr Pawar said the BJP-led NDA government would have to face the political consequences of such decisions. However, defending the Centre’s move, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said global conflicts and war-like situations had pushed up fuel prices worldwide, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made efforts to keep petrol, diesel and LPG prices under control in India.
The Central government on Sunday increased the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 29. The hike comes less than three months after a Rs 60-per-cylinder increase announced on March 7, taking the cumulative rise in the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder to Rs 89. Following the latest revision, the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder in Mumbai has risen to Rs 941.50.
Responding to the increase in the prices of essential commodities and cooking gas, Mr Pawar, a former Union agriculture minister, said fuel prices had been rising continuously and that the latest LPG hike would directly affect household budgets.
“This is how it has continued — prices keep rising, and they have been increased repeatedly over time. The impact of all these developments is now being felt directly by ordinary citizens. In the beginning, the Prime Minister had said that the government was controlling inflation. But if controlling inflation means giving people shocks in a phased manner through successive price hikes, then that appears to be their formula,” the 85-year-old veteran Maratha leader said.
Warning the BJP-led NDA government, Mr Pawar said ordinary households were bearing the burden of rising fuel and cooking gas prices and that the ruling parties would eventually have to pay a political price for such decisions. “The ruling establishment will realise the political cost of these decisions at the appropriate time,” he said.
Responding to Mr Pawar’s remarks, Mr Fadnavis said no country had remained unaffected by the ongoing war-like situation, which had led to higher fuel prices globally. “Petrol, diesel and gas prices have increased across countries worldwide. The Prime Minister has tried to contain fuel prices in India. We have seen fuel prices come down in the past. When there is adequate availability of fuel, prices can be brought down again,” the Chief Minister said.