Bhubaneswar, 07 March (H.S.): Members of the Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress staged a protest on Saturday against the recent increase in cooking gas prices. The demonstration was led by state Mahila Congress president Meenakshi Bahinipati at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar.

During the protest, Mahila Congress leaders carried LPG cylinders on their heads and held a rally. They also lit wood-fired stoves and cooked at the protest site to symbolically highlight the impact of rising cooking gas prices on households. Effigies of Narendra Modi and Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri were also burnt as part of the demonstration.

Addressing the gathering, Bahinipati alleged that the central government has increased the price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder by ₹60, while the 19 kg commercial cylinder has gone up by ₹115. She claimed that such hikes have placed an additional burden on common citizens.

She also stated that before 2014, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a domestic LPG cylinder cost around ₹410, whereas the price has now reached nearly ₹1,000, affecting household budgets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda