A day after the Delhi Assembly poll results were announced, the price of the non-subsidised LPG cylinder weighing 14.2 kg was on February 12 increased by ₹144.50 to ₹149, the steepest since January 2014 .
However, the government almost doubled the subsidy for domestic users.
While in Delhi the cost per cylinder rose from ₹714 to ₹858.50 compared to the January 1 rate, it went up by ₹149 to ₹896 in Kolkata. The price in Mumbai rose by ₹145 to ₹829.50 and by ₹147 to ₹881 in Chennai.
The subsidy to domestic users has been increased from ₹153.86 per cylinder to ₹291.48. The domestic users are entitled to get 12 cylinders of 14.2 kg each in a year at subsidised rates.
The subsidy for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries has been increased from ₹174.86 to ₹312.48 per cylinder. The subsidised 14.2-kg cylinders would cost ₹567.02 for domestic users and ₹546.02 for the PMUY beneficiaries.
In January 2014, the prices had gone up by about ₹220 to ₹1,241 per cylinder.
Congress demands LPG rollback
The Congress demanded the hike be rolled back and accused the Union government of ‘electrocuting’ household budgets.
“Modiji increased the price by ₹144. Cooking gas price price has been increased by ₹200 in one year from 2019-2020,” said chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
The women’s wing of the party has also decided to take out protests on Thursday.
“While talking about current, they have struck the pockets of the public with current,” said Mr. Surjewala in a dig at Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement during the Delhi election campaign where he had asked “voters to press the button so hard that protesters in Shaheen Bagh feel the current”.
“We demand this, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, that as the price of the international crude oil has fallen, why should there be such surreptitious and uncalled for increase in the price of gas cylinder. This increase in the price should immediately be rolled back.”
TMC, CPI(M) flay Centre
In Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) slammed the BJP-led government for the hike, alleging that the objective of the move was to avenge the saffron party’s drubbing in the Delhi Assembly polls.
“The BJP is an anti-people party and its decisions and policies are a reflection of that. Despite its series of defeats in several Assembly polls, they are yet to learn their lessons,” TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said.
“They are trying to take revenge for the defeat in the Delhi assembly polls. Just because people did not vote in BJP’s favour, they are punishing them by increasing the LPG price,” said CPI(M) legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty.
Reacting to the remarks, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the hike in LPG price was not related to the Assembly election results.
“The LPG prices increase and decrease periodically. It has nothing to do with elections or poll results,” Mr. Ghosh said.
In Lucknow, BSP supremo Mayawati attacked the Centre terming the hike as a “cruel decision” against the poor.
(with PTI inputs)
