CPM demands the centre to fix LPG price at Rs 300

CHENNAI: CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Tuesday announced that his party would stage a road roko on September 7 against price rise of essential commodities and also to fix LPG cylinder price at Rs 300 after a week long state-wide campaign against it.

In a statement, he said that the Narendra Modi government has announced a reduction in cooking gas cylinder price by Rs.200. "What is being done now is a drama after raising the prices of all commodities including gas uncontrollably, " he said.

He recalled that when the Modi came to power in 2014, the price of a LPG cylinder was Rs 450 and the crude oil price was US $102. "Now the LPG price is Rs 1120 even as the crude oil price fell sharply, " he said, noting that the union government has cut LPG subsidy by Rs 7000 crore and is now enacting a drama of reducing the prices by Rs 200 per cylinder.

Considering the present crude oil price of US $ 80, he demanded the government to reduce the price of LPG to Rs 300. To protest the price rise, he said that his party would hold a state-wide campaign from September 1 to 7 against it.