LPG price reduction by the centre is an election time drama: CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan

CHENNAI: Terming the reduction in the LPG price by Rs 100 per cylinder as an election-time drama, CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Friday said that if the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is concerned about the public welfare, they should reduce the price of LPG cylinders to Rs 500 as per the promise made in the run-up to the five state polls in last December.

In a statement, he said that Women's Day comes every year but Modi remembers them only during elections.

"Since 2013, the Modi government, which has continuously increased the price of cooking gas and tax to loot the poor and middle-class people, is hypocritically reducing the price of LPG by just Rs 100 on Women's Day, " he said.

He accused Modi's announcement of LPG price reduction on Women's day shows his expression of patriarchy.

"The union government collected Rs 1,26,025 crore as taxes on petroleum product in 2014 and it has gone up to Rs 4,31,609 crore in 2021-22. In the last nine years, the centre has collected Rs 26,73,978 crore as taxes, " he noted.

"When it was the opposition party, the BJP, which fought on the streets against the rise in the price of cooking gas, has not listened to the people's struggle for nine years and now people will know that this is just an election charade from the hype that Rs 100 has been reduced, " he said.