NEW DELHI: The Opposition, including Congress, DMK, SP, and the Left parties, attacked the Narendra Modi government over the hike in the price of commercial LPG cylinders, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying this is an “election bill” and the next “strike” will be on petrol and diesel.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever, Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, on Friday, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict. A 19 kg commercial LPG — used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants — now costs a record Rs 3,071.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.50 previously.
Gandhi said he had warned that the heat of inflation would strike after the elections. “Today, commercial gas cylinders have become Rs 993 more expensive. This marks the largest single-day hike. This is an election bill,” Gandhi posted on X.
“Since February: A hike of Rs 1,380, an 81% increase in just three months. Tea stalls, ‘dhabas’, hotels, bakeries, sweet shops—the burden on every kitchen has increased. And this will impact your plate as well,” Gandhi said. The first strike was on gas; the next will be on petrol and diesel, he added.
The Congress also said the ruling party’s regard for the common Indians’ suffering is limited to election gimmicks, after which they are left to their own devices.
Echoing the criticism, SP president Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP, saying it would make food expensive for the 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 more 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 former Uttar Pradesh CM said sarcastically.
The Lok Sabha MP also asked when the BJP will bring a censure motion on “inflation, unemployment, and recession”.
Meanwhile, calling for the protection of people’s livelihoods, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin demanded an immediate rollback of the LPG price hike. In his social media X platform, he alleged that, as predicted before the polls, the BJP-led government has raised LPG prices immediately after the elections concluded.
“When global crude oil prices fell, the benefits were not passed on to the people,” he said, accusing the Centre of “using the West Asia war as an excuse to raise the prices without regard for public welfare”.
Urging for rollback of the hike, CPI Rajya Sabha MP Sandosh Kumar said, “Instead of ensuring stability in fuel supplies and prices, this approach has left the country exposed, and the burden is now being dumped on restaurants, dhabas, small eateries, hostels, PG accommodations, and small establishments across the country. The immediate fallout will be higher food costs and living expenses, hitting ordinary people the hardest.”