BENGALURU: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and Congress state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday held a joint press conference at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters, sharply criticising the Centre over soaring prices of essential commodities and alleged rollback of welfare benefits.Shivakumar said citizens are “suffering due to rising prices,” blaming government mistakes and international conflicts for straining households. He highlighted shortages in LPG supply, electricity unreliability, rising firewood dependence, and a Rs 60 hike in cylinder prices.
Targeting the Centre’s Ujjwala LPG scheme, he said, “Ujjwala is gone, and they have started the firewood scheme. People now depend on firewood instead of gas. Power and railway fares have also increased.”The deputy CM accused the central government of waging a “price-rise war on ordinary people,” while presenting the Congress-led Karnataka government’s welfare measures as a counter. “Through our five guarantee schemes, we are directly supporting citizens. The Centre blames wars for inflation, but our programmes help people cope with rising costs,” he asserted.Shivakumar alleged the Modi government collected Rs 43 lakh crore in petroleum taxes over 11 years, terming it “brazen loot,” and claimed these funds contributed to high prices. In contrast, he said, Karnataka’s Congress model allocates Rs 1,18,000 crore for direct benefits to citizens.“Two models exist: Karnataka’s guarantees transfer Rs 1,18,000 crore directly to people to protect them from BJP-led inflation, while the Modi government continues to extract taxes and hike prices, looting citizens,” he said.Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the rupee’s fall, stock market crash, job losses, and economic hardships, calling PM Modi “compromised” in a social media post.“Rupee: Rs 95 + 100 Stocks: Crashing Economy: Collapsed Jobs: Gone Income: Falling Savings: Wiped out Cylinders: Unavailable. Why? PM Compromised,” Rahul Gandhi wrote, adding that the Prime Minister is “desperate to protect himself and his financial structure, but 140 crore Indians know India’s future has been surrendered.”(With agency inputs)
