BJP to review gas price formula if it is elected

New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission ordered deferment of the increase in gas pricing, the BJP on Tuesday said that the issue may need reconsideration by the next government as it is not clear as to what “formulation” the UPA dispensation followed in fixing the price.

“I think as the situation has evolved itself, it may require a reconsideration or revisiting by the next government,” BJP leader Arun Jaitley said.

He said the government has told the Supreme Court, where a petiton on the matter has been filed, and now the EC has also said that the issue is for the next government to consider as he argued that it is now incumbent for the next government to revisit the issue.

In a Google Hangout interaction, he, however, made it clear that he was not in favour of “economic adventurism” and targeted AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for his allegation that corruption was at the root of the proposed price hike. “We will be guided by the considerations of there being a transparent policy, the industry being able to recover its cost plus some return on investment,” he said, adding consumers would not be allowed to be exploited.

The present government, he said, followed a system where they had an expert committee which made recommendations and the Cabinet fixed a particular pricing. “Now, it’s still not clear as to what formulation they followed,” he said, adding he was personally in favour of cost plus formulation.