Government is only for rich, not poor: RJD's Tejashwi Yadav slams centre over LPG cylinder price hike

Patna (Bihar) [India], April 8 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday criticised the central government over the LPG cylinder price hike and said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is for only the rich and not the poor.
"Price rise is at its peak. This government is only for the rich, not the poor. They won't talk about the real issues. Inflation will further increase under their rule," Tejashwi Yadav said.
Union Minister Hardeep Puri announced on Monday at a press conference that LPG cylinders, both Ujjwala and non-Ujjwala, will be Rs 50 dearer starting Tuesday.
The price per cylinder of LPG will increase by Rs 50. From Rs 500, it will go up to Rs 550 (for PMUY beneficiaries), and for others, it will go up from Rs 803 to Rs 853," the minister said.
"This is a step which we will review as we go along. We review these every 2-3 weeks," he added.
Following the announcement, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin also criticised the central government, asking whether the stoves in people's homes should be burning or their stomachs with hunger.
"Should the stoves in people's homes be burning--or should their stomachs be burning with hunger? If you can't help, at least don't hurt" suits the sadistic BJP government perfectly," the Tamil Nadu CM said on X.
Meanwhile the government has also raised the excise duties on diesel and petrol each by Rs 2 per litre, effective from Tuesday, according to a notification from the Department of Revenue.
Currently, the government charges excise duty of Rs 19.90 per litre on petrol. From Tuesday, it is going to be increased to Rs 21.90 a litre.
Similarly, the current excise duty on diesel is Rs 15.80 per litre, and it will increase to Rs 17.80 per litre effective Tuesday. The retail selling price of petrol in Delhi is Rs 94.77 per litre, and diesel is being sold for Rs 87.67 per litre.
Crude prices have softened over the past from over USD 70 per barrel to USD 63 per barrel on Monday, raising margins for the oil marketing companies (OMCs). (ANI)