Didi slams Modi govt over LPG price hike ahead of Poila Baisakh
Times of India | 9 April 2025
12 Kolkata: Trinamool on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central govt after the price of a 14.2kg domestic LPG cylinder was hiked by Rs 50, calling it an "anti-people move that adds to the already rising cost of living".
In Kolkata, the revised cylinder price would leave households bracing for further financial pressure, just ahead of Poila Baisakh, the Bengali New Year, the party said.
CM Mamata Banerjee took to X to voice her outrage. She wrote in Bengali, "বাহবা নন্দলাল, হাজার টাকার গ্যাসে ফুটছে বিনা পয়সার চাল" (roughly translating to ‘Bravo Nandlal, free rice is now cooking on Rs 1,000 gas'). "The idea of ‘vikas' for BJP govt at Centre seems to be squeezing every last penny from the pockets of ordinary Indians," she said.
Accusing govt of pushing essential items out of reach, Banerjee said inflation under the current regime had turned necessities like cooking gas, fuel and medicines into luxuries. "BJP isn't running a govt at Centre, it's taking money from people's pockets," she added.
Echoing the CM's sentiments, TMC functionaries coined the slogan "Modi hai toh mehengai hai" to condemn the hike as a burden on the common man. Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee termed it a "special Poila Baisakh gift" from the PM. "We have Nabo Barsho in a few days and PM Modi has given us a gift. Once again, Modi govt has burdened common people," he said.
State minister Shashi Panja also targeted Centre's flagship Ujjwala Yojana, pointing to data that exposed its limited impact. "Of the 9.58 crore beneficiaries linked to this scheme between 2022-23, over 1.18 crore couldn't afford a single refill, and 1.51 crore could only manage one. Most families are managing with less than four cylinders a year. What good is a subsidy when people can't afford the product?" she asked.
State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused BJP govt of turning a blind eye to the struggles of the poor. "Even daily-use medicines for blood pressure and cholesterol have seen price hikes, while health insurance is taxed at 18% GST. Where is the relief for the common man?" she asked.
TMC's fierce reaction signalled that LPG price hike could become a flashpoint in Bengal politics, especially with festivals and elections on the horizon. The party appeared poised to make rising prices a central issue in its campaign against the ruling party at Centre.