March 13, 2026
Derek O’Brien’s Zero Hour mention on the Modi government’s 420 effect – price of gas was 420 in 2014, now it’s 914, manufacturing and export growths have fallen. The BJP is all about slogans and the PM should stop being guided by irrelevant Donald Ducks
Sir, I want to begin by congratulating you because in the Zero Hour, now, we are reaching up to 19-20 Members raising matters in one hour. All thanks to you, and give us some credit, the Opposition also as well as the Treasury Bench. Thank you, Sir. Now, I also want to congratulate this Government. There are 190 countries in the world or so, but no one writes better slogans than this Government, and we have to give credit where it is due. But once you examine the reality of those slogans — the slogans are great — you see what the reality is. A country, that aspires to be a manufacturing power, cannot be exposed to external shocks. Look at the West Asia conflict now. Crude prices have risen by 25 per cent. Now, in our goal to be self-reliant, we are having to invoke emergency measures to boost LPG output. In all these complicated numbers, I found a simple number, and that number is 420. In January 2014, the cost of an LPG cylinder was Rs.420. They can scream, but this is Zero Hour. Listen to me. Take my time also. So, Rs.420 was the price in January 2014. Now, this Government has done well. It is not Rs.420. It is now Rs.914, the price of a cylinder in Delhi, and we all know higher prices for LPG means we go back to the traditional methods of firewood or chulhas, and we can have so many speeches of the Prime Minister talking about the great LPG spread. I have some more numbers. ‘Make in India’ is a fabulous slogan. But what is manufacturing share in total Gross Value Added (GVA)? How much has it gone up in the last 10 years? I am giving the Government numbers. It is 0.3 per cent. Look at the manufacturing growth. It is same. Look at the exports. It is same. Manufacturing growth has fallen. So, the thought today is that we are the lions in India, we are the tigers in India. So, please stop listening to, and, be guided by irrelevant ‘Donald Ducks’. Thank you, Sir.
