Members of the Congress staging a demonstration against hike in prices of LPG cylinders in Hubballi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) have strongly condemned the hike in the prices of LPG cylinders, while Congress members staged a protest in Hubballi on Thursday.
Led by president of Vidyanagar Block Congress Committee Rajat Ullagaddimath, party leaders and members of the women’s wing staged a demonstration at Keshwapur Circle. Raising slogans against the Union government, they demanded immediate steps to bring down the prices of LPG cylinders.
To register their protest, they cooked food on the road using firewood. They also performed a mock funeral of LPG cylinders to register their protest. They brought firewood to the venue as a mark of protest.
Congress leaders Balamma Janganavar, Jyoti Walikar, Kalavati Dattawad, Geeta Patil and several others took part in the protest.
DYFI demand
State Secretary of DYFI from Haveri Basavaraj Pujar has strongly condemned the hike in LPG cylinders and said that with the hike, common people are being forced to pay ₹50 more per cylinder, while street vendors who use commercial cylinders for eking out their livelihood will have to pay ₹351 more per cylinder.
At a time when the buying capacity of the people is decreasing day by day, the prices of various commodities, especially essential commodities, are skyrocketing. The Centre’s policies are nothing but diverting money from the poor and middle class to big corporates, he has said in a release.
“What is significant is that the hike has come after the elections in the North Eastern States. The government has been cheating the people by reducing rates before elections and increasing them post elections,” he has said, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the order on hike.
SUCI(C) condemns
Taking exception to the hike, SUCI(C) has pointed out that this is the sixth hike in a span of one year. As the Union government brought down LPG gas subsidy by 75% in the budget, the hike was bound to happen, district secretary of SUCI(C) Lakshman Jagadannavar has said in a release.
He has pointed out that the hike has come at a time when the prices of crude oil in the global market has come down and India is importing crude oil from Russia at a lesser price.
While the Prime Minister kept on harping about Ujwala scheme providing free LPG connection, he has concealed the fact that these beneficiaries have to pay more for refills, Mr. Jagadannavar said and urged the common man to fight such anti-people policies. He too demanded the immediate withdrawal of the hike.
