New Delhi, June 8:
The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government over domestic LPG price hike, asking why the BJP 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.