BRS to hold protest rallies across TS on Friday against cylinder price hike

HYDERABAD: The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to hold protest rallies in all Assembly constituency headquarters, towns and mandal headquarters across the state on March 3, Friday, against the Centre's decision to hike the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 50.

BRS working president and IT minister K.T.Rama Rao held a teleconference with ministers, party MLAs, MLCs, district party presidents on Wednesday and instructed them to organise protest rallies involving people especially women in large numbers. He also asked party leaders to hold agitation programmes across the state against cylinder price rise and to highlight what he called the “lopsided policies” of the BJP government at the Centre on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8.

Strongly condemning the price hike, Rama Rao came down heavily on the BJP-led government at the Centre for increasing the price of domestic cylinders sharply by Rs 50 and that of commercial cylinders by Rs 350.

"It has become a norm for the BJP government at the Centre to increase the price of cylinders soon after the polling for Assembly elections ends in States. The BJP government resorted to steep hike in cylinder prices soon after Assembly elections polling in Nagaland and Meghalaya ended on February 27. Common people are already burdened with higher fuel prices and essential commodities. At this stage, imposing additional burden on common people will make their lives more miserable," Rama Rao said.

"Is it Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gift to the women folk of the country ahead of International Women's Day on March 8?" Rama Rao questioned.
He instructed party leaders and cadre to organise protest rallies in a unique manner to highlight the plight of common people due to price rise.

Rama Rao stated that the price of domestic LPG cylinder prior to the Modi government coming to power in 2014 was Rs 400 which has now reached to nearly Rs 1,200 under Modi regime in the last nine years.

He accused the Modi government of deceiving women from poorer sections by introducing "PM Ujjwala Scheme" to provide LPG connections and now making cylinders unaffordable for them by increasing prices sharply.

Rama Rao demanded the Centre to roll back the cylinder price hike immediately and not resort to any more hikes in the future.