'Fuel prices will come down too...': Congress' Digvijaya Singh on Centre slashing LPG rates ahead of assembly polls

A day after the Centre slashed gas prices for consumers, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday suggested that it was an election move and predicted that fuel prices would also be cut. "First increase the price from Rs 400 to Rs 1,180, then slash it by Rs 200. As the election nears, fuel prices will also get reduced," he said while speaking to news agency PTI. 

On Tuesday, the Centre slashed the prices of LPG cylinders by Rs 200 and announced that Ujjwala Yojana consumers will continue to get a subsidy of Rs 200 per cylinder in their accounts. From today, the price of a 14.2 Kg LPG cylinder will be reduced in all markets across the country. In Delhi, for instance, the decision will bring down the cost of a 14.2 Kg cylinder from the existing Rs 1103 per cylinder to a more affordable Rs 903 per cylinder. 

While the Centre called it Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gift to crores of sisters on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, the Congress said that the move was taken as elections were nearing in some states. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the central government had started distributing gifts as votes had started decreasing. In a long tweet, he said that for 9 and a half years, the Modi government sold Rs 400 LPG cylinders for Rs 1100. "They kept destroying the life of the common man, so why didn't any "affectionate gift" come to mind?" he asked. 

Kharge said the BJP government should know that after "torturing 140 crore Indians for 9 and a half years", handing over "electoral lollipops" will not work. He further said that to counter the back-breaking inflation, the Congress for the first time is going to provide gas cylinders for Rs 500 only in many states. He said Rajasthan has already implemented this.

https://twitter.com/kharge/status/1696500094504472990

Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said the BJP got scared as high LPG prices were one of the reasons behind its defeat in Karnataka. He further said that the Congress government in Karnataka has implemented its 5 guarantees in 100 days. "Congress govt in Rajasthan is giving LPG cylinders at ₹500. The response has been phenomenal as people were hurting from BJP’s misgovernance."

"Three months before the 5 state elections, where BJP is staring at certain defeat, and six months before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is literally clutching at straws," Ramesh added. "Expect more such ‘gifts’ in the coming months as the Prime Minister becomes even more desperate to cling on to his chair."

Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana are scheduled to go to polls later this year.