Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel on Thursday said that the reduction in fuel price, which gave relief to the people, was a Diwali gift from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Asked about not reducing the price of petrol and diesel before the by-election, the Agriculture Minister said "if it would have been done before election people might have thought it was done for winning the election."
"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fights elections on its own work. We do politics for the country. The nation comes first then party," he added.
Patel also said, the Prime Minister has started PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi to give benefits to farmers. He said, "PM Modi wants to double the income of farmers and wants to build a self-reliant India."
Asked about the upcoming election in Punjab and the speculation of loss due to farmers' agitation, Patel said, "No there won't be any loss. We will explain to farmers that whatever the Prime Minister does, he does in the interest of the country."
Reacting to PM's celebration of Diwali with Army personnel, Patel said, "it boosts their morale."
In a relief to consumers, the Finance Ministry on Wednesday announced a Rs 5 per litre cut in excise duty on petrol and a Rs 10 per litre cut in excise duty on diesel.
Amid record-high fuel prices, this is the first cut in central excise duties in over three years.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor