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Mamata Banerjee to hold 'padyatra' against LPG price hike today
The fuel price hike has been a major issue in the run-up to Assembly elections in West Bengal and other states in April-May.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a 'padyatra' against the hike in LPG price in Siliguri on Sunday. She reached Siliguri on Saturday, and announced that the rally will begin at 1 pm.
"Many of those taking part in the rally will carry empty LPG cylinders to mark the protest," said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief.
State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the rally is being organised just ahead of Women's Day and scores of women are expected to take part in it.
Last week, the price of the cooking gas LPG was hiked by ₹25 per cylinder across all categories, including subsidised fuel and those availed by Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries - the fourth increase in rates in a month's time.
LPG prices have gone up by ₹125 per 14.2-kg cylinder since the beginning of February, price data from state-owned oil marketing companies showed.
LPG is available only at one rate, market price, across the country but the government gives a small subsidy to select customers.
However, this subsidy has been eliminated in metros and major cities through successive price increases over the last couple of years. So, in places like Delhi, there is no subsidy paid to customers since May 2020 and all LPG users pay the market price, which currently is ₹819.
Banerjee is take out the 'padyatra' on the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rally in Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned extensively for the PM's rally and there is speculation that actor Mithun Chakraborty will also attend it.
BJP leader and party's poll observe for West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya, has said that he will be present. Vijayvargiya met the actor at his Kolkata residence on Saturday.
The fuel price hike has been a major issue in the run-up to Assembly elections in West Bengal - where polls will be held in eight phases - and other states in April-May. The opposition parties have been targeting the Centre for the hike, demanding a rollback. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman described the issue as 'dharma sankat' and said it can be resolved only through talks betwene the Centre and states.
