Oil firms red-flagged Sonia's idea of raising LPG cap: Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said people from Congress-ruled states will have to buy additional cooking gas cylinder at market rate notwithstanding Sonia Gandhi's assurance to raise the subsidy cap as oil companies have "rejected" her idea.

"Sonia Gandhi during her Rajkot visit said that she has instructed Congress chief ministers to provide three additional LPG cylinders after UPA's decision to cut the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to six," Modi said, addressing a poll rally in this town of Kheda district.

"About four days back oil and gas companies declared that they can not give a single cylinder over the designated six on subsidy, which implies that whoever seeks a seventh cylinder will have to buy it at a market price," he said.

Modi said Congress was making such unrealistic claims for political reasons and is "misleading" people.

"While Congress is making such claims for political gains, the gas givers are saying something else, which is nothing but cheating!," Modi said, adding not a single person in any state is given any additional cylinders.

"While Gandhi is still talking about cylinders, the Gujarat government has gone a step ahead and proposed a scheme of Rs 10,000 crore to provide piped gas to people for which a 2200-km pipeline is already set up. Seven lakh families will benefit from this initiative and they do not need to stand in line for cylinders," Modi said.

He alleged that local Congress leaders impressed upon their Delhi bosses "to scuttle the plan."

"When the local Congress leaders came to know of this (scheme) they went to New Delhi and asked to stop this initiative at any cost. This led to a decree by the Centre preventing the Gujarat Government going ahead with the pipeline saying it is not in the state government's jurisdiction," Modi alleged.