ShriProvashGhosh, General Secretary, SUCI (Communist), has issued the following statement today:
We severely condemn imposition of a further hike by Rs. 50 in the price of domestic LPG on the pauperizing masses. This is the 6th spike in 12 months. This increase was not beyond anticipation when the BJP government in its current budget slashed subsidy on LPG by 75 per cent despite the fact that international crude price has considerably dropped and Indian import of Russian oil at much cheaper price has gone up. The Prime Minister often arrogates to himself the credit of providing free LPG connection to the poorer sections of people under ‘UJALA’ scheme shrewdly avoiding the fact that ‘UJALA’customers also need to buy gas cylinders at rising market price. The price of commercial gas cylinders has also been steeply raised by Rs. 352 which means that this additional burden would be squarely passed on to the end consumers by the owners of hotel-restaurants and other business entities. Once again the government would earn extra revenue through indirect taxation route the brunt of which is borne by toiling people at large irrespective of their income levels and the super-rich piling wealth over wealth would continue to enjoy undue privilege of being exempted from paying higher income tax.
We strongly oppose this hike in LPG prices and call upon people to organize a strong mass movement against this anti-people policy of the BJP government.”
