Opposition demands roll-back of LPG price hike

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Opposition parties on Tuesday demanded a roll-back of the central government's decision to increase the price of subsidised cooking gas by Rs 4 per cylinder every month.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Congress member K.C. Venugopal said the government is working on speedy elimination of subsidy on cooking gas which will affect the common people of the country.

"International prices of crude oil are coming down. What justification do you have to end the gas subsidy? The government should immediately withdraw its decision," Venugopal said.

Echoing the sentiment, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said: "We protest against it. This is anti-welfare and it should be immediately withdrawn."

Communist Party of India-Marxist MP P.K. Sreemathy Teacher pointed out that poor families will not be able to afford LPG due to the price hike.

Revolutionary Socialist Party member N.K.Premachandran accused the government of imposing a burden by ending the subsidy.

The Centre on Monday ordered state-run oil companies to raise the subsidised cooking gas price to eliminate all subsidies by March next year.

After raising the issue, the opposition members also sought an answer from the government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, who was in the House, did not respond to the queries raised by the opposition.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan told the opposition members that she can not compel the government to answer.

In protest, the opposition members staged a walkout from the House.