In a spectacular u-turn after threatening nation-wide protests and blaming the central government for increased fuel prices, the Congress majority Karnataka government yesterday announced a hike in petrol and diesel prices in the budget session. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s government, where Congress is the major coalition partner, announced increased taxes on petrol and diesel, leading to fuel price hike.
The fact that Congress, which created a lot of noise over increased fuel prices very recently and organised protests over it, holding BJP responsible for the fuel price is now increasing prices in the very state they just got to govern was not missed by many. OpIndia’s article over the issue calling out the hypocrisy of Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi, however, saw an unexpected response.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the CEO of Biocon and one of the most prominent personalities of Bangalore responded to OpIndia’s tweet over the Karnataka government’s decision to increase fuel prices.
Popular Twitter user Ashutosh Muglikar responded to Kiran Shaw’s claim that Karnataka had the lowest petrol and diesel prices. He shared a chart of fuel taxes in each state and Union Territory of India as of 2nd July 2018. The chart showed Karnataka, in fact, was among the states with the highest taxes.
Lowest? ??? pic.twitter.com/scfdmNDVgw
— Ashu (@muglikar_) July 5, 2018
Kiran Shaw was not convinced apparently. She came up with another excuse, that Karnataka had the lowest fuel prices among the ‘large states’.
The gaping hole in that argument was not to be missed.
Apparently, for Ms Shaw, states like Gujrat, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand are not large enough to be considered comparable to Karnataka.
As many Twitter users started pointing out the flaws in her argument and brought the main issue of Congress’ hypocrisy and opportunist politics, Kiran Shaw changed the line of her argument, again.
She now pitched the argument that for the state government to provide the promised loan waiver to farmers in the state, the increase in fuel prices was a necessary step. She supported the argument by stating the ‘affluent’ should compensate for the farm loan waiver by their booze and ‘driving around in cars’ being taxed more instead of the public bearing the burden. Although by what logic she concluded that the rising fuel prices do not affect the poor or middle class but taxes only the drunk, rich brats roaming in cars is beyond our comprehension.
When Twitter users refused to buy that argument too, Ms Shaw came up with another point. This one, however, was more of an excuse than an argument. She stated that Congress cannot take decisions as it would like to take because they are in a coalition government.
Apparently, Congress cannot take major decisions and have to compromise their stand. Does that ring some bells? Do we feel like we have read the same argument somewhere before? We have, indeed. It was none other than the Karnataka CM himself, barely a month ago. Addressing farmers of the state, the CM had stated he can take decisions only with the approval of Congress. The Karnataka CM has time and again given the exact same excuse.
I am at mercy of Congress. I am responsible for development of state,that is different. I have to do my job as CM, I have to take permission from Congress leaders, without their permission I can’t do anything, they have given me support: Karnataka CM on his earlier statement pic.twitter.com/gFWjDF3Sm0
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2018
Though Ms Shaw is not officially associated with the Congress, she is one of the investors for the leftist propaganda website The Wire, which is a constant glorifier of Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Imagine the plight of the people of Karnataka if Congress leaders begin to use that line of argument too. Who will be accountable when both Congress and the JDS keep giving the excuse of being helpless and being forced to compromise because they are in a coalition government. Is that going to be the standard line, like Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal claiming that he cannot work in Delhi because nobody is cooperating with him? If that becomes a reality, is the slogan of ‘we are in a coalition’ going to be the Karnataka equivalent of Delhi’s ‘Modiji not letting us work’? Time will tell.
