LPG price hike: BRS to stage protests across Telangana on Thursday, Friday

BRS is the first party to take up cudgels against the BJP government at the Centre demanding to withdraw the price hike

Hyderabad: Opposing the Centre’s decision to once again hike prices of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 50, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to hit the roads and stage demonstrations across Telangana on Thursday and Friday. The BRS is the first party to take up cudgels against the BJP government at the Centre demanding to withdraw the price hike.

While the domestic cylinder price has been increased by Rs 50, commercial cylinders have become costlier by Rs 350. With the latest hike, the domestic LPG cylinder price, which was Rs 400 before the Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power, now costs Rs 1,155.

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BRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao called upon party cadre including Ministers, legislators and other leaders to organise demonstrations in all mandal, constituency and district headquarters as well as urban areas. He held a teleconference on Wednesday with all Ministers, legislators and district presidents, asking them to make arrangements for the protests.

Stating that it had now become a regular practice for the Modi government to hike the LPG cylinder price soon after Assembly elections in different States, he demanded to know if the price hike was a Women’s Day gift from Modi to the women of the country. He reminded that the BJP had cheated people by promising to provide cooking gas connections at a subsidised price under the Ujwal Scheme.

“Women who obtained Ujwal scheme connections from Prime Minister Modi are unable to purchase domestic gas cylinders today. This is nothing short of betrayal of the people of this country. Cooking gas is essential for every citizen,” he said, asking BRS leaders to take these issues to the people and involve them in the demonstration against the LPG price hike.

Several Ministers in the State Cabinet also condemned the Centre’s decision to increase the LPG cylinder price. Ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Satyavathi Rathod strongly opposed the price hike, terming it a move to loot the citizens of the country and to fill the coffers of the Prime Minister’s crony capitalist friends. They urged the people, especially women to join forces against the Centre’s decision.

Taking a dig at union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who made an issue over the absence of Prime Minister Modi’s photograph at a fair price shop, Sabitha Indra Reddy suggested the former to print the photograph of the Prime Minister on every gas cylinder so that people do not forget the face of the person who was responsible for the steep increase in LPG cylinder prices.

Rathod said Modi who sold tea earlier, was forcing people to sell their properties just to live. She demanded to know whether union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani who staged protests on the roads whenever LPG cylinder prices were increased during the UPA regime, was ready to take to the streets and stage demonstrations against the NDA government.