West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the Central government following a steep hike in cooking gas prices, announcing a unique protest to be held on International Women’s Day, March 8.
Speaking from the Metro Channel at Esplanade, where she is currently staging an indefinite sit-in against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Chief Minister urged women to take to the streets with kitchen utensils to protest against the “anti-people” economic policies of the Centre.
A Call for ‘Utensil Protest’
Highlighting the burden of the recent price increase, Banerjee questioned the logistics imposed on ordinary citizens. “They have increased the price of LPG by 60 rupees, and another 49 rupees just three days prior. Now, they say gas must be booked 21 days in advance. If a household runs out of fuel, what are they supposed to do for those 21 days? What will they eat?” she asked.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo called upon women to join a protest march on Sunday, March 8, carrying items such as cooking pots, pans, ladles (hata), and spatulas (khunti). She encouraged participants to wear black as a symbol of protest, adding, “If possible, bring your gas oven or even raw vegetables in baskets. Let us protest for humanity.”
Context: The Ongoing Sit-in
The Chief Minister’s latest call to action comes amid her ongoing sit-in demonstration at Kolkata’s Metro Channel, which began on Friday, March 6. Banerjee is leading this protest against the Election Commission regarding the alleged mass deletion of names from the state’s electoral rolls during the recent SIR process.
The TMC has claimed that the exercise is politically motivated and aimed at disenfranchising legitimate voters, particularly minority groups, migrant workers, and the economically marginalized, ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. During the sit-in, Banerjee has been vocal in her opposition, even presenting individuals on stage who were incorrectly marked as deceased in the revised voter list.
Impact of the Price Hike
As of Saturday, March 7, the price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder in Kolkata has risen to 939 rupees, while the price of a 19 kg commercial cylinder has surged to 1,990 rupees. These hikes have sparked widespread concern across the country, with global energy tensions in West Asia frequently cited as a factor behind the rising costs.
In addition to the protest announcement, the Chief Minister utilized the platform to emphasize her government’s commitment to social welfare, announcing the immediate rollout of new schemes for unemployed youth and agricultural laborers, which were originally slated for April.
