WATCH | People Must ‘Accept’ Inflation If ‘Income Is Increasing’, Says MP Minister On Fuel Price Hike

“Public should understand that if our income is increasing then we will have to accept some inflation. It’s a practical thing,” he told a press conference in Indore, PTI reported.

New Delhi: Asserting the government cannot provide everything for free, Madhya Pradesh Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia amid a sharp increase in the fuel rates on Sunday asked the people to be practical and accept a little inflation if their income is increasing.

“Public should understand that if our income is increasing then we will have to accept some inflation. It’s a practical thing,” he told a press conference in Indore, PTI reported.

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Sisodia said the fuel consumption has gone up as every family member is now using a vehicle unlike in the earlier days.

Responding to a poser on why can’t the state government provide relief to the common people by slashing the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, Sisodia said: “The government cannot give everything for free.”

“The government gets revenue from tax collection on petroleum products and this is spent on welfare schemes and developmental works,” he added.

Asserting the people cannot say that petrol and diesel prices should remain the same as they used to be ten years ago even though monthly salaries of people have gone up from Rs 6,000 to Rs 50,000, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the income of all sections of the society has gone up during the past few years.

“Didn't the inflation go up in the country during the tenure of previous Congress governments? Has it increased only under the Narendra Modi government? We have to accept that it is a continuous process,” he said.

The Madhya Pradesh Panchayat and Rural Development Minister further said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government has developed a mobile phone application for international marketing of the products prepared by the Self Help Groups (SHGs), adding these will also be helped by marketing their products on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart.