As the world marks International Women’s Day—a day often used to champion empowerment—the reality in Indian kitchens tells a different story. Instead of relief, the nation’s women have been handed a "gift" in the form of a crushing financial burden: a ₹60 hike in domestic LPG prices. With cylinders reaching ₹939 in Kolkata and ₹913 in Delhi, this spike effectively neutralizes past subsidies for average households.
Domestic Crisis: Inflation in the Kitchen
The timing of this hike is particularly sharp. While the government highlights the success of welfare schemes like Ujjwala, the reality is that the cruel hike does not spare even those poor beneficiaries. Non-subsidized LPG has seen a ₹110 increase within a single year, while commercial cylinders surged by ₹114.50 this week. This "fuel-led inflation" is a double-edged sword; it increases the cost of home-cooked meals while driving up the price of essential goods for middle-class and working people already reeling under shrinking real incomes.
A Passive Stance in a Global Cauldron
The root of this volatility lies in the escalating West Asia conflict. With Brent crude jumping nearly 27% in a single week and LNG supplies facing disruption, India’s energy security is under siege. However, critics argue this crisis reflects a "capitulation" to Western hegemony. The refusal to forego revenue from taxes on cylinders further exposes an anti-people stance, suggesting that the administration is serving global hegemonic interests while ignoring the interests of its own people.
Resistance and the Demand for Rollback
AIDWA condemns this steep hike as a direct assault on the common man. We demand that the government immediately roll back these prices and stop using the West Asian conflict to whitewash its own culpability. Furthermore, we call for nationwide protests to resist this move and demand economic sovereignty. If the government continues to prioritize diplomatic optics over the survival of its citizens, the movement for a more proactive intervention will only grow louder.
