Opposition slams LPG price hike, says 'even frying pakodas will now be difficult'

Opposition on Wednesday strongly opposed the hike in LPG prices, saying it is "another blow" to the common man's pocket and that even frying ‘pakodas’ will now be difficult.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the hike came at a time people are preparing for Holi celebrations and it had put a hole in their pocket. "How long will this loot continue? Every person is suffering due to the back-breaking inflation, thanks to the Modi government," he said.

Kharge's party colleague Yuri Alemao, who is Goa Leader of Opposition, took a dig at the Prime Minister saying "even frying pakodas" would become difficult with the hike in prices of LPG cylinders.

“A commercial LPG cylinder will cost Rs 2,118 with a hike of Rs 350 per cylinder. Now, even frying pakodas will be difficult for educated unemployed youths...this hike will result in the complete collapse of household budgets. This is a financial emergency imposed by the insensitive BJP government on the middle class and poor," Alemao said.

Read | MP govt presents Rs 3.14 lakh crore budget; Cong stages walkout from Assembly over LPG price hike

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress MLAs led by Kamal Nath walked out during the Budget presentation in protest against the price hike.

As Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda started his budget speech, Congress members, including former ministers Tarun Bhanot, Vijay Laxmi Sadho and Jitu Patwari, created ruckus in the House over the LPG price hike issue.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, "another blow to the common man's pocket. Domestic LPG cylinder prices hiked by Rs 50 and commercial LPG cylinder prices by Rs 350.50. With rising fuel prices, inflation, and job losses, Modi govt's insensitive policies continue to burden the people. Rollback this cruel hike."

In a statement, CPI(M) Polit Bureau said the cruel hike has come in the background of growing levels of unemployment, poverty and inflation in the country and demanded an immediate rollback of the hikes.

Condemning the hiles, it said this would burden the people further when the prices of all food and essential commodities are rising relentlessly.

"With this hike, more people will drop-out from using subsidised cooking gas cylinders as they simply cannot afford it. Already, over 10 per cent of those under Ujjwala Yojana have not taken any refill cylinders during last year. Nearly 12 per cent took only 1 refill. A total of 56.5 per cent took only 4 or less refills against the minimum required annual average of 7+ cylinders, and against an entitlement of 12 cylinders per year," it said.

"The commercial LPG cylinder prices have been hiked for the second time this year. With this Rs. 350.50 hike a cylinder would cost Rs. 2119.5 instead of Rs. 1769 in Delhi. This is bound to hike the input costs for all processed food products fueling further price rise," the CPI(M) added.

Trinamool Congress tweeted from its official handle, "big blow to the common people as the cooking gas registers a mammoth price hike...The BJP government must immediately stop tormenting India's poor with their great loot."