Election Gimmick Or Welfare Measure: LPG Price Cut Ahead Of Polls Triggers BJP Vs Congress War

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the decision of reducing LPG cylinder prices will increase the ease of living for our sisters.

Taking to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Modi linked the announcement to the festival of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ and said that it is a day to enhance happiness in our family.

“May every sister of mine be happy, be healthy, be happy, this is my wish from God,” Modi said in a post on X in Hindi.

LPG price cut: Rs 200 per cylinder cut in rates of domestic cooking gas

The Modi government on Tuesday announced a Rs 200 per cylinder cut in prices of domestic cooking gas as it looked to counter the promise of cheaper LPG made by the Congress party in upcoming assembly elections in states like Madhya Pradesh.

At present, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder in the national capital costs Rs 1,103 – more than double the rate it came for in May 2020. It will cost Rs 903 when the decision is implemented from Wednesday.

For Ujjwala beneficiaries, the price will be Rs 703 after considering the continuing Rs 200 per cylinder subsidy.

Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the move is aimed at providing relief to households.

The government will also provide an additional 75 lakh Ujjwala connections, which will take the total PMUY beneficiaries to 10.35 crores.

Thakur, however, refused to link the decision with elections saying it was a gift from the Modi government to women on the occasion of Onam and Raksha Bandhan.

Congress attacks Modi govt after LPG price cut

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Modi government and claimed that when the votes start ‘decreasing’, then the election gifts start ‘getting distributed’.

“The merciless Modi government, which looted the hard-earned money of the people, is now showing goodwill towards the mothers and sisters,” Kharge said in a post on X in Hindi.

“For 9 and a half years, by selling Rs 400 LPG cylinders for Rs 1,100, they kept destroying the life of the common man, so why didn’t any ‘affectionate gift’ come to mind?” he asked.

The Congress president said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government should know that after ‘torturing’ 140 crore Indians for nine and a half years, handing over ‘electoral lollipops’ will not work. 

“Your sins of a decade will not be washed away,” he said.

“The Modi government should know that in 2024, the anger of the troubled people of the country cannot be reduced by Rs 200 subsidy,” Kharge said, and added that the ‘fear’ of the Opposition bloc ‘INDIA’ is ‘good’.

“The only option to beat inflation is to show exit door to BJP,” he said.