Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “not standing up for India” and “bowing down to Israel and the US” amid the recent price hike of LPG and other fuels.
During the election campaign in Kollam, Kerala, Priyanka Gandhi said, “LPG and fuel prices are continuously increasing; business is going to become even more difficult in these circumstances. What is the policy of our central government led by Narendra Modi in all this? He is not fighting for his people. He is not fighting for India. He is not standing up for India. He is just bowing before America and Israel.”
There is going to be a triangular contest between United Democratic Front (UDF), Left Democratic Front (LDF) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Kollam seat. The ruling Communist Party (Marxist) has fielded sitting MLA and two-time MLA M Mukesh, while the Congress has fielded Bindu Krishna and Pratap Kumar is contesting on an NDA ticket.
Reiterating the Prime Minister’s allegations of being in “compromise”, the Congress MP appealed to the people to leave the LDF and the NDA and look for “a new kind of politics”, which can perhaps be found in the Congress.
Gandhi said, “Modi himself has compromised, that is why he bows down to Trump. Who is bearing the brunt of all this? You are suffering. You are bearing the brunt of battling inflation. You work hard to educate your children, but they are not able to get employment because employment has not been created in the last 10 years. What I see is selfish and self-serving politics. I want to appeal to you.” That today a new kind of politics and governance is needed in your state.”
He further said, “It is your right to educate your children, it is your right to get a job, and it is your right for Anganwadi and Asha workers to get better salaries.”
The prices of LPG cylinders have been increased from April 1, due to which a significant increase has been seen in the prices of commercial and small cylinders in major cities.
The price of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder in Delhi has increased by Rs 195.50, taking its price to Rs 2,078.50. At the same time, the price of 5 kg FTL cylinder has increased by Rs 51, making its price Rs 549 per refill.
After her public meeting in Kollam, Gandhi went to Kavadiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram, where she highlighted the UDF’s ‘five Indira guarantees’.
The Congress MP asked, “I urge all of you to take a look at your lives of the last 10 years. Has the quality of life improved? Is there any improvement in health services in Kerala? Has this government (LDF) done anything good in the field of education? I know all of you. You struggle for the education of your children. Most of your children are well educated. Are there good employment opportunities for them in Kerala? If a youth wants to start his own small business or industry So does it get support from the government? What has this government done for you in these 10 years? What should you do now?
“This is a small part of a larger vision of giving Kerala a better place and a better future. With these five guarantees, I want to give you some relief from your struggles,” Gandhi said.
He further said, “First of all, women across Kerala will be given free bus travel facility to go wherever they want to go. Congress has implemented this very successfully in Karnataka. The elderly and vulnerable will be given a pension of Rs 3,000. If you are a young man or woman who wants to start their own business, the government will give an interest-free loan of Rs 5 lakh. Each family will get health insurance of Rs 25 lakh.”
Earlier in the day, the Congress-led UDF alliance released its manifesto for the Kerala Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held in exactly a week.
Opposition leader and Congress leader V.D. Satheeshan, along with other United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders, released the party’s election manifesto.
Voting for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections will take place on April 9 and counting of votes will take place on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly ends on May 23.