Targeting the Centre over the hike in rail fares and cooking gas cylinder price, the Congress on Wednesday said it would put more burden on the common man and called the decision “an injustice to the poor people.”
All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) president Sushmita Dev said the hike came at a time when the economy was in shambles and it would create a ‘deeper financial crisis’ for citizens.
“Is this a fair new year’s gift to the common man, Congress thinks it is not,” Ms. Dev said and added, “the question is when will the travesty going to end.”
On December 31, the government raised train fares marginally by one paisa to four paise per kilometre depending on the class of travel by a passenger. It also hiked LPG cylinder rates by ₹19.
“One paisa, two paise weigh little and four paisa sounds very small amount but add to that the state of the economy, the rise in unemployment, the fall in rural consumption, where even daal [pulses] and normal cooking oil is unaffordable, how is the common man going to enter 2020 with these kind of hikes? I feel injustice towards the poor people,” Ms. Dev said.
Rawat’s appointment
Asked about some Congress leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Manish Tewari questioning the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), she said, “If some Congress leaders have commented on this, I won’t comment on that. All I will say is that this is Government of India’s decision and we hope that the new CDS will fulfil his duty towards India.”
Ms. Dev said the Congress did not object to any policy decision taken in India’s security interest. “Actions speak louder than words and soon the country will know how they will work. Commenting on it before that will not be right,” she told reporters.
Chowdhury’s tweet
On Tuesday, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had tweeted critical comments on General Rawat’s appointment as CDS.
“At the end, Mr. Rawat become the 1st Chief Of Defence Staff, government certainly taken all his performances into cognizance including his ideological predilection, Indian Army is an apolitical institution for which each & every Indian irrespective of caste, class, creed, community is proud of. Let Mr Bipin Rawat Ji’s ideological predilection should not affect the apolitical institution of India, our ‘ARMY’,” Mr. Chowdhury had tweeted.
