Nashik, March 13 – Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal demanded the immediate rollback of the Rs 60 increase in LPG prices on Friday, stating that the BJP government has pushed the common public into the depths of inflation.
He further pointed out that the price increase is a result of the Central government's wrong policies. Instead of "exploiting" the public by using war as an excuse, the government should immediately cancel this increase, he said.
Sapkal also demanded that the Prime Minister discuss the LPG price issue with all stakeholders and make a statement in Parliament.
He was speaking at a protest held in Trimbakeshwar against the gas price hike and shortage, where protesters raised slogans against the BJP government.
Due to the unavailability of commercial cylinders, small businesses, hotels, and eateries are being forced to shut down, he said.
"The BJP-Mahayuti government in the state is making noise about giving Rs 1,500 to 'Beloved Sisters' (Ladki Bahin), but on the other hand, they are exploiting these same sisters through massive inflation," he noted.
During the protest, Sapkal visited a gas distributor's office to assess the ground reality. He also interacted with women who had come to collect cylinders to understand their grievances regarding the shortage.
The women expressed deep anger over the price hike, stating that the BJP government has made "living itself expensive".
Protests against the gas price hike and shortage were also carried out in various districts, including Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Wardha, Buldhana, Gondia (Tiroda), Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan-Dombivli, Dharashiv, and Chandrapur (Rajura).
Meanwhile, Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and former Assembly Speaker Nana Patole held a protest in the premises of Vidhan Bhavan, demanding the rollback of the price hike while holding symbolic gas cylinders.
Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday advised consumers to avoid panic buying of petrol, diesel, and LPG as adequate stocks are available across the country.
No cases of fuel dry-outs have been reported at any of the 1 lakh retail outlets by the Oil Marketing Companies. Adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available, and supplies are being maintained regularly, a senior Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry official said.
The official underlined that India currently has a refining capacity of around 258 MMTPA and is the fourth largest refining hub in the world. The country is self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel, and no imports of petrol and diesel are required to meet domestic demand. All refineries are currently operating at high levels, including some of them even above 100 per cent capacity.