10/04/2022
New Delhi: Union Minister Smriti Irani was caught unawares today in a Delhi-Guwahati flight when questioned about the rise in fuel prices. Her interrogator was Netta D'Souza, the acting chief of Congress women's wing.
Ms D'Souza later tweeted the video where the minister is also seen recording the encounter on her cell phone.
The caption of her tweet, where the minster was also tagged, read, "Faced Modi Minister ji, enroute to Guwahati. When asked about Unbearable Rising Prices of LPG, she blamed Vaccines, Raashan & even the poor! Do watch the video excerpts, on how she reacted to common people's misery!"
Ms Irani initially said the Congress leader was "blocking the way". Asked about the shortage of cooking gas and "stoves without gas", the minister is heard saying "please don't lie".
Later, she is heard saying that she is being "accosted".
The price of petrol has been hiked 14 times in 16 days, pushing up prices by ₹ 10 a litre. There has been no hike in the last two days.
In Delhi, a litre of petrol is now being sold at ₹ 105.41, while diesel is being sold at ₹ 96.67 a litre.
Attributing the price rise to the Russia-Ukraine war, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said the increase in India worked out to be only 5 per cent compared to countries like the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Sri Lanka, where prices have gone up by 50 per cent.
The hike in petrol prices, he added, was very low in India in the aftermath of the war.
