The JDU's KC Tyagi said the "kitchen budget" of households had hit badly.
The BJP's NDA ally Janata Dal-United (JDU) today demanded that the Centre roll back the hike announced today in LPG cylinder prices by petroleum companies. The party, which leads the coalition in Bihar, cited the financial pressure on households amid the Covid pandemic and said political rivals could use the issue to cause damage to the alliance's prospects in the many polls scheduled over the next few months.
Petroleum companies today increased the price of a subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder by Rs 25. This is the second price hike announced by the retailers in a month. On August 18, too, it was increased by Rs 25.
Now, pressure is on these firms to repeal the move.
"There has been an unprecedented increase in prices (of petroleum products). See where the petrol and diesel prices are today...The kitchen budget has been hit badly. This is very worrying," JDU Chief General Secretary KC Tyagi told NDTV.
"As a friendly party, we want to suggest to the government that recent increase in prices should be rolled back...because there are assembly elections scheduled in many states in the coming months. Our political opponents can use this as a weapon against us in these elections."
A number of elections to state assemblies, including those of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, are scheduled to be held over the next few months.
Mr Tyagi, also spoke against leaving petrol and diesel prices to market mechanism, and said the government must step in to curb their cost for people's benefit, according to a PTI report.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party has of late taken positions on certain issues that have raised eyebrows. He himself had backed the opposition's demand for a probe into the alleged snooping scandal involving Pegasus spyware. He has also led a chorus for a caste-based Census, a politically fraught issue over which the BJP has so far maintained silence.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the Centre earlier today over the hike in petrol prices, citing data for petrol, diesel, and cooking gas.
Over the past seven years, the government has earned more than Rs 23 lakh crore because of the rise of diesel, petrol, and cooking gas, he said, claiming that the funds from all this and the goods and services tax, were "benefiting a handful of crony capitalists".
"When the UPA left office, the price of LPG was Rs 410 a cylinder. Today it is Rs 885, a 116 per cent rise, Mr Gandhi said. The price of petrol has increased by 42 per cent and that of diesel has increased by over 55 per cent since 2014," Mr Gandhi said.