A rally was taken out by CPI(M) leaders and activists on Tuesday, demanding withdrawal of the hike in LPG prices and steps to check black-marketing of cooking gas cylinders. The rally was held from the party office at Pithapuram Colony to Maddilapalem Junction.
Addressing the gathering, CPI(M) Maddilapalem Zone Committee secretary V. Krishna Rao alleged that middlemen were diverting cylinders into the black market by creating artificial scarcity. He also called for efforts to stop the war in West Asia.
CPI(M) district secretariat member P. Mani said that, contrary to the claims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that there was no shortage of cooking gas, organisers of eateries and small hotels were facing severe difficulties due to delays in cylinder supply even days after booking. She alleged that several roadside eateries were being forced to shut down due to non-availability of cooking gas.
Condemning the war on Iran by the United States and Israel, Ms. Mani said that oil and gas supplies would be severely affected if the conflict continued. She demanded that gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin be utilised to meet the needs of Andhra Pradesh instead of benefiting the Adani group.
