Shiv Sena (UBT) slams fuel, LPG price hikes as ‘cruel Diwali gift’ to public
Bilkul Online
Mumbai
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over fuel and gas price hikes, terming them a “cruel Diwali gift” for citizens already struggling with drought and inflation. In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp accused the government of driving ordinary citizens into severe financial distress while Maharashtra grapples with drought and rampant inflation. The editorial highlighted the grim reality facing common citizens and farmers across Maharashtra. “Almost the entire state of Maharashtra is scorched by a severe drought.
Farmers have no crops in their fields, and common citizens have no money left in their pockets. People were holding onto their modest savings, hoping to bring a little sweetness into their children’s lives during Diwali. However, the government’s hike in CNG and Commercial LPG rates has poured cold water over those last remaining hopes,” claimed the editorial. The editorial asked, “Do the rulers want the public to refrain from celebrating Diwali altogether this year?” The editorial detailed the exact economic burdens imposed on the common man. “In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), CNG prices have been increased by Re 1 per kg — marking the 6th price hike in the last 6 months alone. Commercial LPG cylinder prices have been raised by Rs 10,” it said. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena mocked the government’s defence of keeping domestic cylinder prices unchanged, pointing out that hiking commercial gas directly increases the cost of dining out, hotel food, restaurant meals, and ready-made Diwali snacks and sweets brought home. It recalled that in May, commercial cylinder prices were hiked by a massive Rs 1,000.
The token reduction that followed was merely a farce, as prices are rising again. The editorial highlighted the compounding economic strain from global and domestic factors. “Driven by drought conditions and the Iran-America conflict, food inflation has hit a staggering 7.74 per cent. Prices of daily staples, pulses, and grains have escalated to the point where they feel like luxury items. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to raise the repo rate has pushed up interest rates, leading to higher EMIs across all personal loans and mortgages,” remarked the editorial. Targeting the political leadership, the Thackeray camp criticised the hypocrisy of government rhetoric. “Fuel and commodity prices were artificially held back for political self-interest until elections in five states concluded. Now, the ‘horse of inflation’ has broken loose. Rulers who boasted about reining in fuel prices despite global Gulf War tensions have turned completely unbridled regarding inflation post-elections. While the Prime Minister urges citizens to practice austerity, the government creates a system that leaves no money in the public’s pockets,” it alleged.
