The Congress on Thursday launched a weeklong, nationwide “Mehngai-mukt Bharat” (Inflation-free India) campaign, accusing the Narendra Modi government of robbing the ordinary citizen on the pretext of high crude oil prices.
Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi sat on a dharna outside Parliament in the morning, bringing along a cooking gas cylinder and a motorcycle that were garlanded to imply that the savage prices had pushed them into disuse.
Congress members later staged a walkout from Parliament to emphasise the enormity of the problem. The party’s state units and front organisations held demonstrations across the country.
Rahul accused Prime Minister Modi, without naming him, of robbing the country.
“Petrol Rate in Indian Rupees: Afghanistan: 66.99, Pakistan: 62.38, Sri Lanka: 72.96, Bangladesh: 78.53, Bhutan 86.28, Nepal: 97.05, India: 101.81,” he tweeted.
“Prashn na puchho fakir se, camera par baante gyan/ Jumlon se bhara jhola lekar, loote Hindustan (Don’t question the fakir, he will only sermonise before cameras/ With a bag full of false promises, he will rob the country).”
Rahul told the media: “We shall hold demonstrations in every state, every district, every block. Petrol-diesel prices have been raised nine times in 10 days. This is an attack on the poor and the middle class.
“The government must stop this. The price of the LPG cylinder has doubled. The government’s intention is to provide benefits to a few corporate houses while burdening the poorest. They didn’t do this before the election. Everybody understands what’s happening.”
Rahul said that no government had ever before allowed the prices of essentials to soar like this. The Congress put out charts showing that the prices of pulses and oil had doubled in the eight years under the Modi government.
Congress MPs displayed placards that said: “Chunav khatm, loot jari (Elections end, loot begins).”
Many senior leaders posted videos on social media explaining the government’s “loot-niti” (doctrine of looting). They recalled how the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders had been raised long before the Ukraine conflict when crude oil prices were much lower.
Shaktisinh Gohil told the Rajya Sabha: “LPG price in the international market during 2012-14 was US $888.20 per metric tonne. It has fallen to US $769.11 per metric tonne now. But the cylinder which sold for Rs 410 in 2014 now costs Rs 1,000.”
MGNREGA funds
Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the budgetary allocation for the rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA had been cut, and that this was hurting the poor at a time unemployment had peaked.
“This year, the MGNREGA budget is 35 per cent less than (that in) 2020. Many states have shown a negative balance in March, delaying the payment of Rs 5,000 crore to the workers,” she said in the Lok Sabha.
“The states have recently been told that the funds won’t be released till they appoint a Lokayukta and complete the formalities of a social audit. The social audit needs to be strengthened but workers cannot be punished by making this an excuse for not releasing funds. This is unjust and inhumane. The government should find solutions instead of creating hurdles.”
Junior finance minister Anurag Thakur contested her charge, saying the Modi government had significantly enhanced the MGNREGA budget.
The budget outlay for the scheme in 2020-21 was Rs 61,000 crore compared with this year’s outlay of Rs 73,000 crore. However, the actual spend on the programme in 2020-21 was Rs 1.15 lakh crore, from which this year’s outlay marks a drop of 36 per cent.
