Goa Minister's comment on fuel prices like Marie Antoinette's cake barb: Congress

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar has compared the state's Law and Judiciary Minister Nilesh Cabral to French queen Marie Antoniette after the latter asked people to buy e-vehicles instead of complaining about rising fuel prices.

"It reminds us of a French monarch telling people 'if you cannot afford bread, eat cake'. This is what the BJP minister is telling the Goans. This attitude comes from the arrogance of power," he said.

On Wednesday, Cabral had said: "So, we have to make a change in ourselves. I will advise people to buy electrical vehicles and start moving around in them so that you can save money and save the environment also. They say prices have increased and yet they buy petrol. They must be in a position to buy an (e)-bike," Cabral told the media at the BJP state headquarters in Panaji.

Accusing the BJP government of failing to fulfil its primary duty of controlling prices, Patkar said: "This is adding salt to the wounds of those whose household budgets have been thrown out of gear by such a rise in fuel prices."

"It looks that the BJP government has abdicated its primary duty of controlling prices. Petrol price rise has a spiralling effect on prices of other essential items. Congress party deplores this insensitive and irresponsible statement of the BJP minister."

Following the recent fuel price hike, petrol in Goa is priced at Rs 106 per litre.