Members of the Udupi District Mahila Congress staged a dharna against the increase in the price of non-subsidised cooking gas cylinder by ₹ 85, in front of the Clock Tower here on Thursday.
They also protested against the decision of some banks to charge a minimum fee of ₹ 150 for cash deposits and withdrawals at their branches after four free transactions in a month.
Addressing the protesters, Veronica Carnelio, president of the District Mahila Congress, said that Shobha Karandlaje, MP, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha should raise their voice against the rise in price of LPG cylinders. This move would pinch the pockets of poor and middle classes.
The people had to bear the brunt of this hike even as they were recovering from the shock delivered to them through demonetisation. The women would teach Prime Minister Narendra Modi a lesson in the next elections, she said.
Jyoti Hebbar, vice-president of the District Mahila Congress, said that the good days (“ache din”) promised by Mr. Modi were nowhere near. Instead, women now had to protest against the hike in the price of LPG cylinders.
Till date, the Union government had not given an account of how much black money had been recovered through demonetisation. Despite making a big show of development, the BJP still relied on its communal agenda to play with the emotions of the people, Ms. Hebbar said.
M.A. Gafoor, chairman of Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, alleged that Mr. Modi’s style of functioning was dictatorial. After imposing demonetisation over the people of the country, his government had now increased the price of LPG cylinders by ₹ 85 per cylinder.
This had left the home-makers with no alternative but to hit the streets as they had to struggle to balance their home budgets. Mr. Modi had still not brought back the black money lying in bank accounts overseas even though his government had completed two-and-a-half years, he said.
Meenakshi Bannanje, president of the Udupi City Municipal Council, Sandhya Tilakraj, vice-president, Chandrika Kelkar, Sarasu Bangera, Geeta Wagle, Celine Karkada, Sughandi Shekar, Sandhya Shetty, Sunita Shetty, Jyoti Puthran, Gopi Naik, and others were present.
