All India Mahila Congress has organized a nationwide demonstration on Thursday, February 13, against the BJP government, demanding a rollback of the LPG price hike.
Taking to Twitter, the offical handle of the Mahila Congress wrote, "Mahila Congress will organize a nationwide massive demonstration against @BJP4India govt on 13th Feb 2020 demanding a rollback of #LPGPriceHike."
On Wednesday, LPG price was increased to Rs 858.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder from Rs 714 previously, according to a price notification of state-owned oil firms. This is the steepest hike in rates since January 2014 when prices had gone up by Rs 220 per cylinder to Rs 1,241.
With effect from February 12, the non-subsidised LPG rates were revised to Rs 858.5 per cylinder in Delhi and Rs 829.5 per cylinder in Mumbai. While, in Kolkata and Chennai, the rates were increased by Rs 149 per cylinder to Rs 896.00 per cylinder and by Rs 147 per cylinder to Rs 881.00 per cylinder respectively.
Normally, LPG rates are revised on 1st of every month but this time it took almost two weeks for the revision to take place - a phenomenon which industry officials said was due to approvals needed for such a big jump in subsidy outgo. Others said the decision to defer the increase could have been because of the Delhi Assembly elections.
Hitting out at the government over the hike, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Modi ji increased the price of LPG cylinder by Rs 144. Cooking gas price has been increased by Rs 200 in 1 year from 2019-2020."
BSP supremo Mayawati also attacked the Centre over the hike in the price of LPG. Reacting to the hike of Rs 144.5 per LPG cylinder, she said the move will hit crores of poor and hard-working people who are already facing "severe inflation".
"It would have been better had the Centre worked as a welfare state as embodied in the Constitution," she tweeted after the price notification of state-owned oil firms.
(With input from Agencies)
