Rohtak: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said the twin blows of soaring inflation and acute shortages of electricity and water have plunged the state into turmoil.Addressing the media, Hooda remarked the purchasing power of poor and middle-class families has diminished, savings are dwindling, and the cost of daily living is skyrocketing due to inflation. "This situation prevails because the BJP govt is levying taxes at double the rate compared to the Congress regime. VAT on fuel in the state, which stood at 9% during the Congress govt's tenure, has been doubled to 18% by the BJP," Hooda said. "Prices of food items and agricultural inputs have shot up. While the cost of living and production is increasing, the minimum support price for farmers remains unchanged," he said. "A domestic LPG cylinder cost approximately Rs 400 during the Congress govt's tenure. That price has now surged to Rs 1,000. Similarly, under the Congress regime, petrol was priced at Rs 70 per litre and diesel at Rs 50-55 per litre, rates that have now crossed the Rs 100 mark," he added. Several senior party functionaries, including MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra and former minister Subhash Batra, were present. MSID:: 131309708 413 |