Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 1: As the prices of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 993 on Friday morning amid the global crisis, the Opposition, led by its leader in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP government, calling it the “election bill” and alleging that while the first strike was on gas, the next one will be on petrol and diesel.
The increase in the commercial gas prices comes within days of the conclusion of the Assembly elections in four states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry, The polling in all the states concluded on April 29 with the counting of votes scheduled to be taken up on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi reminded what he had already stated that “the heat of inflation would come after the elections”. “Today, a commercial gas cylinder is Rs 993 more expensive. The biggest increase in a single day. This is the election bill. From February till now: Rs 1,380 increase – a whopping 81 per cent jump in just 3 months,” said the Congress leader.
In a post on X, Gandhi added that from tea stalls to dhabas to hotels to bakeries to sweet shops, “the burden on everyone’s kitchen has increased”. “And this will affect your plate too. First strike on gas, next strike on petrol-diesel,” said Gandhi.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said, “Just as the election cycle concluded, the Modi government wasted no time to increase prices of LPG cylinders.” “A whopping increase of nearly ₹1,000 on commercial cylinders will affect crores of Indians who rely on food from small eateries for sustenance. Similarly, crores of small food businesses will have to bear the burden of this hike,” he said.
The BJP’s regard for the common Indians’ suffering is limited to election gimmicks, after which they are left to their own devices, Mr Venugopal said. “In the three months since the Iran war began, the government should have prepared a solid plan to shield ordinary Indians from the price shocks, instead of passing on the financial burden,” he said.
Mr Gandhi on Tuesday had warned that the prices of petrol and diesel will be increased after the Assembly elections conclude on April 29. He had also attacked the government for allegedly profiteering from low global crude oil prices and said it would now put the burden on the public as the prices are rising. “Election relief over, inflation’s heat is on its way! After April 29th, watch out – petrol, diesel, everything will get expensive.
“When (crude) oil was cheap, the Modi government pocketed the profits. Now that it’s expensive, it’ll dump the burden on you,” Mr Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. “A government that loots when it’s cheap – leaving the public to bear the brunt of inflation,” he had alleged.
A 19-kg commercial LPG – used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants – now costs a record ₹3,071.5 in Delhi as against ₹2,078.50 previously. Rates were last increased by ₹195.50 per cylinder on April 1. Prior to that, prices had gone up by ₹114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1.
Prices of domestic cooking gas LPG – the one used in household kitchens – remained unchanged. Domestic LPG rates were last hiked by ₹60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7. It costs ₹913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi. State-owned Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum revise ATF and LPG prices on the first day of every month based on international benchmarks and the exchange rate. Global oil prices have shot up almost 50% after the war in West Asia disrupted energy supply chains.
The Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said cylinders won’t get expensive, but the roti-thali will. “This is known only by the one who buys and eats it themselves, not by the one who goes and eats at others’ places or steals from others’ plates. If they had to make the cylinder expensive, they should have just made it 1000 rupees costlier outright. By reducing 7 rupees, who are these BJP folks doing a favour to?” he said in a post on X. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister asked when the BJP will bring a “censure motion on “inflation, unemployment, joblessness, and recession”.
Trinamool Congress’s Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said the Modi government “has again exposed its cynical anti-people mindset where the moment elections are over, it has hit the pocket of the small businesses.” “When global oil was cheap, the benefit was never passed to consumers but petrol earnings used by the government to fund its insatiable cash gobbling election machine,” Ghose said. “Now, when global prices are skyrocketing, citizens are bearing the brunt. Instead of misusing central forces and agencies in Bengal, the prime minister and home minister should be more worried about the massive oil shocks ahead due to the West Asia conflict,”
CPI leader in Rajya Sabha P Santosh Kumar said the “unprecedented” hike “is a direct consequence of Modi’s hug-lomatic foreign policy, which has failed to secure India’s national interest in a volatile global energy environment.” “Instead of ensuring stability in fuel supplies and prices, this approach has left the country exposed, and the burden is now being dumped on restaurants, dhabas, small eateries, hostels, PG accommodations and small establishments across the country,” Kumar said.
He said the “immediate fallout will be higher food costs and living expenses, hitting ordinary people the hardest. Coming just a day after voting, this vindicates what the CPI had warned: that LPG and other fuel prices would be hiked once elections were over, because the Modi government’s sole concern is electoral optics, not people’s welfare,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition seeking Rahul Gandhi for an alleged objectionable statement made in 2025. The court dismissed the plea after examining the arguments presented by the petitioner. The single bench refused to entertain the plea, which challenged earlier orders related to a complaint filed against the Congress leader.
The plea had been submitted in connection with Rahul Gandhi’s remarks made on January 15, 2025. The petitioner argued that an FIR should be lodged over the statement, and the matter had reached the High Court after a lower court rejected the demand. The High Court had completed hearings on April 8 and reserved its judgment before delivering the order now.
Justice Vikram D Chauhan passed the order after listening to submissions from the petitioner’s counsel and the state government’s lawyer. The petition had been filed by a woman named Simran Gupta, who approached the High Court against the decision of a court in Sambhal. That court had earlier refused to direct registration of an FIR based on the allegation that Gandhi’s comments were objectionable.
The issue stems from Rahul Gandhi’s purported statement during the inauguration of the All India Congress Committee office in 2025, where he reportedly said, “We are fighting against the BJP, RSS and the Government of India.” According to the petitioner, this remark hurt public sentiments nationwide and amounted to sedition. She claimed the words were intended to destabilise the country and therefore warranted immediate criminal action. The High Court, however, found no grounds to intervene and upheld the lower court’s decision.