Image: IANS
NEW DELHI: Congress leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday criticised the Centre over rising LPG prices and reductions in subsidies under the Ujjwala scheme, alleging that government policies were placing an increasing financial burden on poor and middle-class families.Rahul alleged that 12 years of what he termed “anti-poor economic policies” had pushed millions of households back towards using firewood as a cooking fuel. He further added that the number of subsidised LPG cylinders available under the Ujjwala scheme had been reduced from nine to four, while domestic LPG cylinder prices had increased by Rs 89 over the past three months.”12 years of anti-poor economic policies and a compromised foreign policy have today pushed the country into such a state where millions of poor families and women have been forced towards the poisonous smoke of firewood. The number of subsidized cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme has been reduced from 9 to 4. On top of that, the price of domestic LPG cylinders has been increased by Rs 89 in the last 3 months – meaning, first raise the prices, then cut the subsidy, and extinguish the poor’s hearth,” Rahul said through a post on X. The Congress leader also highlighted the rise in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders, which are widely used by migrant workers, claiming that their cost had increased by Rs 323. He questioned how workers and low-income families would cope with the higher expenses.Rahul further accused the government of favouring large corporate borrowers while shifting the economic burden onto ordinary citizens. He questioned whether workers, farmers, women and the middle class would continue to bear the cost of what he described as a weakening economy.”Waiving off loans worth millions of crores for billionaire friends and making the poor foot the bill for your failures – this is the Modi model of loot. Mr. Modi, will the poor alone bear the burden of your failures? Will only workers, farmers, women, and the middle class pay the price for this crumbling economy that you’ve built?” Rahul added.His remarks come amid continued volatility in global energy markets driven by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.The military escalation has disrupted crude oil supplies, putting upward pressure on global energy prices. Benchmark crude prices surged to nearly $120 per barrel after the conflict began on February 28. Although prices have since moderated, they remain around 30 per cent higher than pre-conflict levels, while natural gas prices have risen by 75 per cent.Meanwhile, despite disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, a key route through which 54 per cent of India’s LPG imports passed before the conflict, the Centre has said there was no shortage of petroleum products in the country.To mitigate the impact of constrained imports, domestic refiners increased LPG production by more than 60 per cent, raising output from 32,000 tonnes per day to 52,000 tonnes per day, according to the Centre.
