MoS Alphons Kannanthanam said that Modi government aimed for the welfare of the people in the lowest strata of society. Thiruvananthapuram: Bureaucrat-turned-union minister Alphons Kannanthanam on Saturday stoked a controversy when he said that people who own bikes and cars were not starving and can afford to pay higher prices for fuel.
“People who own vehicles are not starving, they are very well capable of paying for the fuel. So we are going to tax people who can afford to pay. It was a deliberate move to rise the price," Kannanthanam told reporters in Kerala capital Saturday.
His comments came at a time when the fuel prices are at a three-year high attracting strong criticism from opposition parties which described them as insensitive to the common man's problems.
As his remarks came under attack, Kannanthanam who had a recently stirred the hornet's nest by making contradictory remarks on beef, sought to justify his statement on the petroleum prices.
He said that the Modi government aimed for the welfare of the people in the lowest strata of society.
"Bulk of the people in our country do not have access to the basic amenities including food, house and toilets. To ensure that, we need crores of rupees, which the government plans to collect though taxes.
Congress leader and former petroleum minister Veerappa Moily attacked Kannanthanam saying it was an atrocious statement. "This is how bureaucrats, who come to politics, have no understanding of people's problems. Many of the ministers in Modi's government are like this."
"Anti-incumbency has set in against the government," he said.
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