CM rebuts Pawar on fuel price hike, cites West Asia conflict

Nagpur/Kolhapur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday rejected Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's claim that the Centre would pay a "political price" for the latest LPG price hike, saying the increase was driven by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, Pawar hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The Centre is hiking the prices frequently. They started with 2 hike, and now prices have reached this far. This hike has affected the livelihoods of the common man. The Prime Minister had initially said that he is keeping inflation under control, but it seems that administering the shock of increasing prices step-by-step may be his formula to bring inflation under control. The people in power will understand the political price of increasing prices of fuel and LPG at an appropriate time," said Pawar.Fadnavis said the war had pushed up fuel prices globally and that India had largely managed to cushion its impact on citizens. "The whole world knows that because of the war situation, no country has remained untouched. Prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas have risen across countries, including India. Even then, our Prime Minister has made significant efforts to keep prices under control. We have seen prices fall in the past as well. When conditions improve and supply increases, prices will come down again," he said.Commenting on the southwest monsoon, Fadnavis said the government was closely monitoring rainfall prospects in Marathwada and Vidarbha. "It is an El Niño year. Even if rainfall is around 92% of normal, we must keep guiding farmers so that a drought-like situation does not arise. The aim is to minimise losses even with lower rainfall," he said.On the Pune Police Crime Branch's late-night raid on a ‘Project X' party where over a hundred people were detained for questioning, Fadnavis said the operation was part of a statewide push. "Large-scale action is underway, and Maharashtra's approach is zero tolerance for drugs. This action will continue under the policy," he said.Fadnavis said Maharashtra's farmers would be among the biggest beneficiaries of the Centre's push for ethanol-blended fuel and 100% ethanol-powered vehicles, citing the state's status as a leading sugarcane producer. "The way the central govt is promoting ethanol in fuel blending and vehicles that run on 100% ethanol, I am confident our farmers will benefit greatly," he said.(With inputs from Abhijeet Patil in Kolhapur)