Randeep Singh Surjewala lies, compares subsidised price of LPG in 2014 with current non-subsidised price

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala resorted to lies while criticising the Modi government for the hike in the price of unsubsidised LPG. Today the price of non-subsidised LPG was raised by around ₹76 per cylinder. The price of a 14.2 kg Liquified Petroleum Gas marketed by Indian Oil Corporation under the Indane brand went up to ₹681.50 from earlier ₹605.00 in Delhi.

https://twitter.com/rssurjewala/status/1190136080764293121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Reacting to this price rise, Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Surjewala tweeted that while the price of LPG is ₹716.50 is per 14.2 kg cylinder, it was ₹414.00 on 16^th May 2014. Therefore, the prices have gone up by ₹302.50, he tweeted. But this is a blatant lie as the Congress leader is comparing two different prices.

While he has taken the non-subsidised price for the current, he is comparing it with subsidised price in 2014. If we take the non-subsidised price of LPG from 2014, we find that it was much more than the current price even after today’s hike. According to previous prices listed on IOCL website, price of non-subsidised LPG on 1^st May 2019 in Delhi was ₹928.50, and the same was ₹1241.00 in January that year. That means, the current price of ₹681.50 in Delhi is still lower than the 2014 price by ₹247.00, and not ₹302.50 higher as alleged by Randeep Singh Surjewala.

It may be noted that during the UPA government the number of subsidised cylinders available per year was 9, which was increased to 12 by the Modi government. Under the DBTL scheme, the subsidy amount is directly credited to the bank account of consumers after the full non-subsidised price is paid for purchasing LPG.

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The LPG prices, like all other petroleum products, are dependent on market prices. The prices go up and down according to global oil prices. Unlike petrol and diesel, LPG does not attract high tax, only 5% GST is applicable to it. Therefore, the government has little control over the non-subsidised price. But the government keeps changing the subsidy amount so that consumers don’t have to pay too much for the cooking gas.