Launching a scathing attack on PM Narender Modi led government over domestic LPG price hike,the Congress on Sunday took a dig at BJP asking why its leaders aren’t taking to the streets with cylinders in protest now when they used to raise a hue and cry about inflation during the UPA era.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made “grand claims” in Parliament about diversifying fuel sources across 41 countries in response to the West Asia conflict and asked what became of that.
Why does a shortage of LPG persist in rural areas even today, he asked. The Congress president’s remarks came after the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi was raised to Rs 942 from Rs 913, while beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) will continue to pay an effective Rs 642 per cylinder after receiving a subsidy of Rs 300 per refill on the first four refills annually, down from 9 refills announced last year.
The increase follows a Rs 60-per-cylinder hike on March 7, taking the cumulative hike to Rs 89 per 14.2-kg cylinder. State-run oil marketing companies were estimated to be losing about Rs 703 on every LPG cylinder sold before the latest revision.In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, “Soaring domestic LPG prices threaten to devastate the kitchens of the common people! The Modi government has hiked the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs.89 over the last four months.”
“We have three questions: Modi ji had made grand claims in Parliament about diversifying fuel sources across 41 countries in response to the West Asia conflict. What became of that? Why does a shortage of LPG persist in rural areas even today? Under the Ujjwala scheme, 5.56 crore families did not get even a single refill (or got only one) during 2025-26. Of these, 3.30 crore families did not opt for a single cylinder refill. This situation predates the West Asia crisis. Is this not the result of the Modi government’s profiteering?” Kharge said.
“Modi ji and BJP leaders used to raise a hue and cry about inflation during the UPA era. Is it not true that the Modi government has increased domestic LPG prices by Rs 530 over the last 12 years? Why aren’t BJP leaders taking to the streets with LPG cylinders in protest now?” he said.
The government on Sunday said Indian households continue to pay among the lowest prices for cooking gas globally despite a sharp rise in international PG prices triggered by disruptions in West Asia. In a statement, the government said the cost of supplying a domestic LPG cylinder has risen to more than Rs 1,600 following a surge in international prices that followed the outbreak of war in West Asia at the end February.
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