LPG price up Rs 25 per cylinder in fifth hike since December
Govt rubbing salt into common man's injury: Cong on LPG price hike
New Delhi, Jul 1: The Congress accused the government on Thursday of rubbing salt into the common man's injury by hiking the price of LPG cylinders and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
The opposition party also termed the hike of Rs 25 in the price of LPG cylinders as "immoral, arbitrary and irrational", and asked the government to take corrective steps to revive the economy and be sensitive towards the needs of the people.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the government, saying only the rates of "gimmicks" have fallen during the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Such was the effect of Modi 'maya' that only the rates of gimmicks have fallen," he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag "LPGPriceHike".
The former Congress chief also shared a graph of the "vikas" of the LPG cylinder price over the last five years.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate urged the government to reduce the LPG price and be sensitive towards the common people.
"We have only one, absolutely one demand that the Centre should be more sensitive to the needs of the people and needs to bring down the prices of LPG," she told reporters.
"Since the finance minister sees giving loans as the only way to control the economy, get some special loans disbursed for people to buy petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders. It will be a good exercise," she said.
Shrinate said LPG was sold at a lower price when the Saudi Aramco prices were high and there is no reason why the fuel prices should go up when the Saudi Aramco prices are going down.
She said the government has decided to rub salt into the injury by hiking the LPG cylinder price by Rs 25.
"This is not just immoral, it is arbitrary, it is irrational. The LPG price of Saudi Aramco, on the basis of which our price is decided, was USD 587 per metric tonne in March, when our LPG cylinder price was Rs 819.
"Today, the Saudi Aramco prices have gone down to USD 523 dollar per metric tonne and our gas cylinders should be priced at Rs 552. Instead, our prices are at Rs 834," the Congress leader said.
The government of the day needs to be sensitive and should lessen the burden of the people, it needs to take back the price hikes and cannot claim that the oil companies are autonomous and taking their own decisions.
मोदी माया का ऐसा पड़ा प्रभाव
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 1, 2021
बस जुमलों का ही गिरा है भाव।#LPGPriceHike pic.twitter.com/lyGqBV2SAB
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Man identified as Pravin Mishra arrested in Gujarat for spying for Pakistan
Bharuch, May 9: A man has been arrested in Bharuch district of Gujarat for allegedly spying for a Pakistani intelligence agency, police said on Thursday.
Pravin Mishra, the accused, had allegedly collected highly confidential information about the Indian Armed Forces and defence-related R&D firms, said the Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The CID started its probe following a tip-off from the Military Intelligence, Udhampur.
A resident of Ankleshwar in Bharuch district and native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Mishra was in contact with a Pakistani intelligence operative through Whatsapp calls and audio chat "to carry out a criminal conspiracy against the country that could have serious security consequences," the CID said in a release.
"It was found that the information was being sent to an intelligence agency located in Pakistan," the CID said.
A case was registered against Mishra and the Pakistani operative who used an Indian WhatsApp number and the fake Facebook ID of `Sonal Garg', it said.
"The case has also been registered against the officers/employees involved in the criminal conspiracy who were in touch with the operative on the WhatsApp number," the release added.
The Military Intelligence had alerted the CID about the present or retired employees of the Armed Forces, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and employees associated with the R&D of missile system development being used to get confidential information, the CID said.
Further probe was underway, it added.
