BJP promising LPG subsidy in poll-bound states, why not Maharashtra: Patole

If the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can promise gas cylinders at Rs 450 each in poll-bound states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, then why can't it supply the item at the same rate in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Nana Patole asked on Friday.

The BJP has been promising cylinders at subsidised rates in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, where assembly polls are being held through the month, along with Mizoram and Telangana.

"The BJP is promising to bring down cylinder prices to Rs 450 in states facing assembly polls. Why can't they do the same in Maharashtra? What sins have the people of Maharashtra committed that they have to pay such hefty amounts for gas cylinders?" Patole asked reporters in Nagpur.

While the Union government's Ujjwala Yojana, under which gas connections are given to poor households, is not taking off, it has stopped supply of kerosene due to this scheme, he claimed, alleging that the BJP-led Union government is "looting people".

Patole's reference was to the reduction in gas cylinder prices in states where the BJP and Congress are involved in electoral battles for control of the state assembly, including the Congress-led states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.