With latest hike, LPG up by ₹89 in 3 months, Oppn recalls PM Modi's claims of ‘diversification’ amid West Asia war

THe domestic help LPG at present costs ₹942 per piston chamber in new delhi after the prices were ₹29">hiked by ₹29 on sun. This is the second hike in LPG prices in three months as the war in the Middle East is taking toll on consumer goods, particularly fuel, since the conflict first began on February 28.Earlier in March, the prices of cooking gas was hiked by ₹60 per cylinder in Delhi after the global energy prices were hit by the US-Iran war.Also read: Indian man from Telangana called for pizza delivery, shot dead in US' PhiladelphiaAs the cooking gas in the country gets more expensive owing to the Middle East war, the Opposition leaders have criticised the government for not being able to cushion the crisis even though the Centre that Indian households continue to pay significantly less for cooking gas than consumers in neighbouring countries and several advanced economies.‘Incinerating the kitchens’On the recent price hike of LPG cylinders, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the rising domestic LPG prices are “incinerating the kitchens of the common people”.Kharge said the price has increased by ₹89 in the past four months and the common man is reeling under the burden of price rise.Recalling the street protests by BJP during the UPA rule, he said in a post on X that the Modi government has increased domestic LPG prices by ₹530 in the last 12 years and asked, "So why aren't BJP leaders sitting on the streets with cylinders now?"Also read: 'Don't send your kids to the US': Sister of Indian man shot dead in Philadelphia"The rising domestic LPG prices are incinerating the kitchens of the common people. In the last four months, the Modi government has hiked the prices of domestic LPG cylinders by ₹89."In Parliament, Mr. Modi had made tall claims about Fuel Diversification from 41 countries due to the West Asia War. What happened to that? Why is there still a shortage of LPG in rural areas today?" he asked. While Kharge mentioned the price hike over the last ‘four months’ most other leaders and opposition parties, including Congress, referred to the price hike over the last three months, starting March 7.TMC reacts to LPG hikeThe Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress took potshots on the government over the latest LPG hike, saying the price rise is ‘another blow’ to millions of families and their already stretched household budgets. “This is the @BJP4India model: when global crises emerge, the poor keep worrying while the rich keep thriving,” the party said. Congress's digThe Congress made a brief, cryptic remark on the LPG price hike, highlighting how the prices had gone up by ₹89 in just three months. 'Vasooli sarkar," it said in the caption. Meanwhile, Congress MP Imran Masood sounded alarm and said the situation is likely to ‘worsen the coming days’ and that the government should convene an all-party meeting to find solutions. , but no work is being done in that direction... The prices of everything are rising..." Samajwadi Party's digThe Samajwadi Party took a dig at the central government led by the BJP and said the public tormented by ‘BJP-engineered inflation’. “In just three months, the domestic LPG cylinder has become ₹89 more expensive. When will this plunder of the public finally stop? Remove BJP, Save the Country,” the party said in a post on X. What the govt saidAfter the price of domestic LPG increased by ₹29 per cylinder, the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Sunday said that Indian households continue to pay significantly less for cooking gas than consumers in neighbouring countries and several advanced economies.The ministry also said a beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) effectively pays ₹642 for a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder, while the general consumer in Delhi pays ₹942. The actual cost of supplying the same cylinder has now crossed ₹1,600.According to the ministry, petroleum product prices in India are linked to corresponding international market prices. However, the government continues to moderate the effective price paid by households for domestic LPG.Any household can purchase cylinders at ₹942. PMUY beneficiaries additionally receive a direct benefit transfer of ₹300 per cylinder on the first four refills every year, which is broadly the average annual consumption of a typical Ujjwala household. As a result, they effectively pay ₹642 for those refills, and this support remains unchanged.The ministry said that even households not covered under PMUY are paying around ₹700 less than the market-linked cost of a cylinder. Retail prices may vary slightly across locations because of distribution costs.