Chandigarh, July 3 — The Haryana Government’s recent decision to increase the price of mustard oil from ₹20 to ₹50 per litre for Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antyodaya card holders has triggered widespread backlash across the political spectrum, with opposition leaders calling the move exploitative and insensitive.
The hike has drawn sharp criticism from Congress MLA Shishpal Keharwala, who termed the increase “anti-people” and accused the government of abandoning its public welfare agenda. “The government that speaks of working for the people has shown its true face,” Keharwala said, adding that the move would deepen the hardships of families already crushed by inflation. He also pointed out earlier hikes in electricity prices and dismissed the ruling party’s slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ as a mere facade. “In reality, only the rich benefit,” he said.
Ashok Buwaniwala, Chairman of the Congress Industry Cell in Haryana, called the decision “inhumane,” claiming it will directly impact over 48 lakh poor families dependent on the Public Distribution System (PDS). “The government’s justification — that a poor family doesn’t need more than a litre of oil per month — shows its disdain for the dignity of the poor. They are not treated as people, but as burdens,” he said.
Buwaniwala also raised alarm over what he described as a “digital fraud” in the BPL list update. In the last three months alone, he said, 4.78 lakh families were removed from the list — many on the false pretext of owning cars or assets they never possessed. “The figures don’t match ground reality,” he said, noting that the BPL count has dropped from 52.50 lakh in March to 47.72 lakh in June.
He demanded the government roll back the oil price to ₹40 for two litres and urgently re-verify and revise the BPL list to reinstate families wrongly excluded.
Jasbir Singh Jassa, District President of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), also condemned the move. “The government talks of helping the poor but acts in a way that only increases their pain. This hike is a direct blow to struggling families,” he said.
Criticism also came from the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), a former BJP ally. Senior leaders Ashok Verma and Amar Singh Jiyani said the hike mocks the poor and raises serious challenges for ration depot holders. “These depot owners are forced to collect ₹100 from the poorest of families without receiving any profit, while the department demands advance payments and releases commissions only after months of delay,” Verma said.
The state government has yet to respond to the mounting political and public pressure, even as protests grow across rural and urban areas.
