Kolkata, March 7 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the women's wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress will stage protests in the streets over the increase in LPG prices.
The prices of domestic LPG and commercial cylinders were increased by a steep Rs 60 and Rs 114.5, respectively, amid rising energy costs linked to the West Asia conflict.
Banerjee, while addressing party workers on the second day of her sit-in against the deletion of names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, said that the Centre is arbitrarily hiking LPG prices in an "anti-people manner" without making alternative arrangements.
"Tomorrow is International Women's Day. I urge Chandrima (state minister and TMC's women wing state president Chandrima Bhattacharya) to ask women to organize protest rallies against the increase in LPG prices. If needed, wear black clothes. We will protest peacefully and democratically," she said.
Castingigated the BJP, Banerjee said, "Yesterday, they increased the LPG price by Rs 60. Then they put a 21-day booking period for gas. What will people do if their cylinder runs out?"
"Shouldn't they have thought about these issues beforehand? They have also reduced the kerosene quota. You are forcefully increasing prices. Why didn't you plan all this earlier? Why didn't you think about these things?" Banerjee said.
She added that the women's wing protest on March 8, which is International Women's Day, will also be against the deletion of thousands of married women's names from the final voter list published on February 28.
"Many women's names have been deleted during the SIR exercise, under the pretext that their surnames changed after marriage," she added.
