Left parties in Tamil Nadu are set to stage statewide protests on May 7 in response to the significant increase in commercial LPG cylinder prices and the proposed reduction in railway posts. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation have jointly announced demonstrations in front of central government offices across the state.
According to the parties, the price of commercial LPG cylinders has surged remarkably in recent months, with a staggering increase of Rs 1,518 within 120 days. This surge has led to a nearly doubled cost, from Rs 1,739 to Rs 3,257, severely impacting small businesses, street vendors, migrant workers, and low-income households that heavily rely on these cylinders.
Furthermore, the parties have criticized the additional burden placed on economically weaker sections due to a Rs 261 hike in the price of 5-kg cooking gas cylinders. They attribute these price hikes to global LPG trends and accuse the government of not passing on the benefits to consumers despite declines in international crude oil and gas prices in recent years.
The Left parties have also raised concerns about a reported circular from the Railways proposing a 2% annual reduction in total posts, with over 28,000 positions eliminated last year and a potential cut of more than 29,000 jobs this year, including 1,906 posts in Southern Railway. They highlight the failure to fill over 3 lakh vacancies out of the 14 lakh sanctioned railway posts, emphasizing broader issues of unemployment with nearly 10 lakh vacancies remaining unfilled in central government departments and public sector undertakings.
The parties have called for an immediate rollback of the LPG price hike and the withdrawal of proposed job cuts, urging the public to join the protests against what they perceive as the “anti-people policies” of the Centre.
