After giving a controversial statement on beef, union tourism minister, Alphons Kannanthanam, on Saturday gave yet another insensitive remark. This time his remarks revolve around the steep rise in petrol prices.
“Who buys petrol? Somebody who has a car, bike; certainly he is not starving. Somebody who can afford to pay, has to pay”, he said while justifying the rising fuel prices.
The minister added that the welfare of the downtrodden is going to cost an enormous amount of money. Therefore, he said, “We are going to tax people who can afford to pay.”
“We are imposing the taxes so that the poor have a dignified life, money being collected today is not being stolen by us,” he added.
There has been a drastic increase in the prices of petrol since July this year. Petrol is now priced at the highest rate in three years with the rates being revised daily.
Earlier, Alphons had said, “They (tourists) can eat beef in their own country and come here,” when asked by a reporter whether restrictions on consumption of beef in several states in the country will adversely affect the hospitality industry. He was speaking at a convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators in Bhubaneswar.
