LPG price hike: Rahul reminds BJP of its own protest

New Delhi: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP over the LPG cylinders’ price hike by attaching an old picture of Union Minister Smriti Irani.

“I agree with these members of the BJP as they protest the astronomical Rs 150 price hike in LPG cylinders,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted with the hashtag Roll Back Hike.

He also attached a picture of Irani protesting along with the BJP workers with an LPG cylinder.

Rahul’s tweet brings into focus the sharp political rivalry between him and Irani and is taken as a reminder that he has not forgotten the loss of his family bastion Amethi to the BJP leader. Irani had defeated the former Congress chief from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi by a margin of 55,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

His remarks came a day after the prices of the LPG cylinders were hiked by a steep Rs 144.50 per cylinder on Wednesday taking the price to Rs 858.50 per cylinder.

This was one of the steepest increases in the LPG prices in over five years.

A non-subsidised 14.2 kg cylinder will now cost Rs 858.50 in New Delhi, Rs 896 in Kolkata, Rs 829.50 in Mumbai and Rs 881 in Chennai.

The women’s wing of Congress carried out a flash mob protest near Shastri Bhawan in the national capital over the steep price rise of the LPG cylinder.