Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday over the reduction in the price of LPG and asked if this was not "revdi (freebie) culture". On Tuesday, the government announced a reduction in the prices of domestic cooking gas by Rs 200 per cylinder. The reduction meant a Rs 400 cut for the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana as they are already enjoying Rs 200 subsidy on LPG cylinders.
Making a jibe at the central government, Kapil Sibal also said that as the elections approach, Prime Minister Modi begins caring more for the poor. He said that when the opposition does something to give relief to people, PM Modi calls it "revdi culture".
Sibal's post on X (Twitter) read: "PMji, ₹ 400 relief for Ujjwala is not revdi culture? This is for poor households I guess. Glad you have remembered them. Am sure you will think of them more as 2024 approaches. But when Opposition parties give relief it becomes revdi culture!"
The phrase revdi culture or freebie politics was used by PM Modi in July last year to attack the Oppposition. He said that the people, especially the youth, must be wary of the Opposition's "revdi culture" as it is very "dangerous". He sought to warn people against politics based on populist measures.
The central government on Tuesday reduced the price of cooking gas cylinders (LPG) by Rs 200. It also decided to issue 75 lakh new LPG connections free of cost under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that at a Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi, it was decided to reduce the price of LPG cylinders by Rs 200 for all consumers.
After the announcement, the cost of the 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi was Rs 903 from Wednesday. Till Tuesday LPG cylinders were being sold for Rs 1,103. However, the price of LPG cylinders has doubled when compared to that in May 2020.
Earlier Opposition leaders, like Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, had slammed the Centre for slashing LPG prices right before the polls in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha election. While Banerjee said that the ruling NDA government slashed the prices of LPG cylinders due to the fear of the Opposition INDIA bloc, Kharge took a dig, saying as soon as the votes started decreasing for the BJP, the government started distributing election gifts.
Reacting to this, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said: "The least that the Congress can do is join the Raksha Bandhan celebrations and reduce VAT on petrol and diesel in states where it is in power instead of ascribing imaginary reasons to PM Modi's decision to reduce the cost of LPG cylinders by ₹200 as a festive gift for our sisters!"