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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a dig at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the incessant rise in cooking gas prices. The Congress party leader compared the data of LPG gas rates of 2014 with the current cylinder's price and wrote, "2 cylinders then for the price of 1 now".
According to Gandhi's tweet, in 2014, when his party was in power, the LPG gas price was ₹410 and a subsidy was ₹827. However, under the BJP's regime, the LPG price has surged to ₹999 with zero-subsidy, Gandhi added.
"Only Congress governs for the welfare of poor and middle-class Indian families. It’s the core of our economic policy," the Lok Sabha MP wrote on Twitter.
Yesterday, the Centre hiked cooking gas LPG prices by ₹50 per cylinder, the second increase in rates in just over six weeks following the firming of international energy rates.
Non-subsidised LPG now costs ₹999.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi, up from ₹949.50 previously, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. Since April 2021, prices have risen by ₹190 per cylinder.
Non-subsidised cooking gas is the one that consumers buy after exhausting their quota of 12 cylinders at subsidised or below-market rates. However, the government pays no subsidy on LPG in most cities and the price of the refill that consumers, including the poor women who got free connection under the much-talked Ujjwala scheme, is the same as non-subsidised or market price LPG. Non-subsidised LPG costs ₹999.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Mumbai while it is priced at ₹1,015.50 a bottle in Chennai and ₹1,026 in Kolkata. Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT.
Earlier this month, the price of commercial LPG cylinders - the one used by establishments like hotels and restaurants - was increased. On May 1, the price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was increased by ₹102.50 to ₹2,355.50.