New Delhi, April 2 : Price rise is now an ‘event’ in the country, Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Saturday, and said electoral victory has become a license for BJP to impose unprecedented inflation on people. Addressing a press conference here, the Congress leader gave a list of commodities that have become more expensive and said, “BJP’s electoral victory has now become a license to loot in this country. Till the elections, they put a pause on prices, polarise Hindus and Muslims, and after polls they start robbing the pockets of the public. “One thing has to be accepted, Modi ji and BJP are secular in one respect… They do not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims – when it comes to price rise. Inflation affects Hindus as well as Muslims,” he said. Surjewala termed the inflation situation as ‘the gory story of BJP-Modi government’s Loot, Rob & Fleece’. “Modi government is seeking revenge against India’s Annadatas for the Kisan Aandolan. Price of fertilizer bag of 50 kg has been increased by Rs. 150 per bag, taking it from Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1350 per bag. India’s farmers consume 1,20,00,000 tonnes (1.20 lakh cr tonnes) DAP every year. The additional burden on farmer comes to Rs 3,600 crore,” he said. Surjewala called the regular hikes on petrol and diesel prices as “daily good morning gift”, and said it put an additional burden on people due to increased petrol prices is Rs. 20,138 crore, and for diesel it is Rs. 52353 crore. “When Congress-UPA government was in power Petrol and Diesel was at Rs 71.41 and Rs 55.49 per litre respectively, which have now been increased to Rs 102.6/litre and Rs 93.87/litre in Delhi,” he said. He also mentioned rising cooking gas, PNG and CNG, hike in toll taxes that came in force from April 1, hike of 10.76 per cent in prices of around 800 essential drugs from April 1 announced by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, and a series of other commodities which have become more expensive. Petrol and diesel prices were hiked today by 80 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in the last 12 days to Rs 7.20 per litre.
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