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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the government over the rising prices of domestic cooking gas, diesel and petrol and alleged that the increase in the prices of these items in the last seven years has earned Rs 23 lakh crore.
He also alleged that while classes like farmers, salaried class and laborers are being demonetised, some industrialist friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are being monetised.
In a press conference, Gandhi said that the government has come up with a new concept of GDP, in which an increase in GDP means an increase in the prices of gas, diesel and petrol.
The former Congress chief alleged that the government has earned Rs 23 lakh crore from rising prices of gas, diesel and petrol in the last seven years, and said the people of the country should ask where this money is going.
“There is demonetisation on one side and monetization on the other. Which is being demonetised – farmers, labourers, small traders and informal sector, MSMEs, contract workers, salaried class and honest industrialists. Which is being monetised – four-five friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader alleged that money is being transferred from the poor and vulnerable to the friends of the Prime Minister.
He said the government was panicking over not being able to fulfill its promises and was surviving on fuel prices. Gandhi said the day the international crude oil prices reach US$ 90-100, the situation here will get out of control.
He also compared the figures for LPG cylinders, petrol and diesel between the time the UPA was in power in early 2014.
LPG gas price was Rs 410 per cylinder in 2014 when UPA (Congress-led United Progressive Alliance) was in power, now it is Rs 885. Petrol was Rs 71.5 per liter in 2014 when UPA was in power, now it is Rs 101 and diesel has increased from Rs 57 to Rs 88, Gandhi said.
He said that the international prices of petrol, diesel and LPG are lower than in 2014, but the prices in India are still rising.
The Congress party has been attacking the government over the increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas and has been demanding reduction in them by removing some of the taxes levied by the central government.
On Wednesday, the prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cooking gas cylinders were hiked by Rs 25 per cylinder across all categories, including subsidized gas – the third straight increase in rates in less than two months.
As per the price notification of oil companies, the price of subsidized and non-subsidised LPG is now Rs 884.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder in Delhi.
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