Scam record · 2021 · Policy harm
LPG and fuel: prices up, central excise collected
Cooking gas roughly doubled on the minister's own Lok Sabha numbers. Central excise on petrol and diesel was hiked repeatedly when global crude fell, then hiked again in the pandemic years. Kitchen and commute bills rose while tax take rose.
This is not a WhatsApp rumour. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told Parliament that a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder was about ₹410.5 in March 2014 and about ₹819 by March 2021. Later Rajya Sabha replies put Delhi retail near ₹1,103 with limited PMUY relief.
On petrol and diesel, the same replies record repeated central excise hikes. Between late 2014 and early 2016, duty was raised nine times as global oil prices fell. In May 2020, another large hike hit petrol and diesel while households were already under Covid shock.
Government argument: import dependence, market-linked LPG, and revenue for roads and welfare. Citizen argument: when crude falls and retail barely falls, the gap often goes to tax. Trishola lists the paperwork, not a criminal conviction of a minister.
Opposition parties later packaged this as one of several 'household frauds'. We keep INC or any party pamphlet as secondary framing. Primary sources here are Parliament answers and PPAC price tables.
What is proven here
Proof level: official-record on LPG retail path and excise rate changes via ministerial replies. Not a court verdict calling fuel tax a scam. Causes of retail pump prices remain contested (state VAT + crude + OMCs).
Sources
- The Hindu: Pradhan Lok Sabha reply on LPG doubling and excise (News + docs)
- Rajya Sabha reply AU1264: LPG comparative prices (PDF) (Official)
- PPAC annexure: domestic LPG price path (PIB PDF) (Official)
- INC framing (secondary): 8 years, 8 frauds (Document)