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Rahul Gandhi attacks govt over increase in fuel, cooking gas prices; BJP rebuts
The Congress leader alleged that the government had earned ₹23 lakh crores from increasing prices of gas, petrol and diesel in the last seven years. He also said ’there’s a new concept of GDP, rising GDP means rise in prices of gas, diesel and petrol’
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lashed out at the Centre over rising fuel prices, alleging that the government had earned ₹23 lakh crores from increasing prices of gas, petrol and diesel in the last seven years.
The Congress leader also said “there’s a new concept of GDP, rising GDP means rise in prices of gas, diesel and petrol”.
Hitting back, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) followed the core agenda of ‘CNP’, i.e., ‘corruption, nepotism and policy paralysis’.
Addressing reporters at party headquarters here, Gandhi said: “The Prime Minister says the GDP is rising. Then I realised what he meant by GDP. Gas diesel petrol. In 2014, Narendra Modi ji had said that the prices of petrol and diesel are rising. In 2014, ₹410 was the price of the cylinder, when the UPA left office. Today it is ₹885, a rise of 116 per cent. Petrol was ₹71.5/litre in 2014, today it’s ₹101/litre, a rise of 42 per cent. Diesel was priced at ₹57/litre in 2014, it’s ₹88/litre today,” he added.
“The Centre has earned ₹23 lakh crores from the GDP, not Gross Domestic Product but Gas, Diesel, Petrol. Now my question to the government is, where did they spend this ₹23 lakh crores? The public should ask the government where is the money which the Centre is snatching away from them going?”
Further attacking the government over the rising fuel rates amid falling prices of gas and crude oil in the international market, Gandhi accused the central government of “selling the country’s assets”.
“...So, in the international market, the prices of gas and crude oil are declining, and on the contrary, they are sharply increasing in India. On the other hand, the country’s assets are being sold,” the former Congress chief said.
The Wayanad MP also alleged the Centre had “demonetised” farmers, labourers, small and medium businesses, salaried class, and honest industrialists through its economic policies.
“In the last seven years, we have seen a new economic paradigm. Demonetisation on one side, and monetisation on the other side. First, Modi ji said that he is undertaking demonetisation and the finance minister says that she is undertaking monetisation. The people are asking what is undergoing monetisation, and what is being subjected to demonetisation?” he said.
On Monday, the Centre had unveiled a four-year National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth an estimated ₹6 trillion to raise ₹88,000 crore this year by leasing infrastructure assets of central government ministries and state-run companies
In 2016, as part of its demonetisation move, the Centre had withdrawn ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes as official mode of payment to fight fake currency and tackle black money in the economy.
Taking a dig at the Congress leader, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Gandhi can “never understand the real meaning” of GDP.
“Rahul Gandhi spoke about issues of which he didn’t have a clear knowledge. He tried to redefine GDP in the wrong way. The UPA government followed CNP - corruption, nepotism and policy paralysis as their core agenda. They won’t be able to understand the real meaning of GDP,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
