The Congress on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of profiteering on petroleum products, pointing out that the price of an LPG cylinder had been raised by Rs 175 in the past two months.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: “In the last two months alone, LPG gas prices have gone up by Rs 175 per cylinder. It used to cost Rs 594 for a cylinder in the national capital in December. It is now costing Rs 769 each cylinder. In February, we have seen a price rise of Rs 75. This is despite the fact that the price of international crude oil has remained very low.”

Pointing out that Indians were reeling under extreme economic distress and job losses, Shrinate said: “It tells you a lot about how this government functions and thinks. They are not just insensitive, they want to make money on people’s miseries. They have amassed a whopping Rs 24 lakh crore through high taxes, an amount that actually belongs to the people of this country.”

“When we were in the government, the tax on diesel was around Rs 3 per litre. Today, it is nearly Rs 32 per litre. On petrol, it was just a little over Rs 9 per litre, today it is at about Rs 33 per litre.”