KOLKATA — Central Kolkata came to a standstill on Monday afternoon as thousands of women activists from the state’s ruling party hit the streets to stage a massive protest against the relentless rise in LPG cylinder prices.
Armed with empty cooking gas cylinders, ladles, and steel plates, the demonstrators marched through major intersections, loudly banging utensils to symbolize the empty kitchens and growing financial distress of ordinary households. The rally, which commenced near the Hazra crossing and culminated in a massive gathering, was aimed squarely at the central government’s economic policies.
“Banging Utensils to Wake the Centre”
The visual of the protest was striking. Women from various districts across West Bengal formed a sea of demonstrators, chanting slogans and demanding an immediate rollback of the recent hikes in domestic cooking gas prices.
Protest leaders stated that the symbolic banging of utensils was a deliberate attempt to “wake up” the central authorities to the severe ground reality. “The continuous rise in LPG prices is a direct attack on the common man, and it is the women who run the households who are bearing the ultimate brunt of this inflation,” a senior leader of the women’s wing addressed the crowd. “We are banging these empty plates today because, at this rate of inflation, the plates of the poor and middle class will soon be empty.”
The Economic Burden on Households
The LPG price hike protest in Kolkata comes at a time when household budgets are already being severely squeezed by broader inflationary pressures. With global energy markets in turmoil and crude oil prices recently surging past $100 a barrel, the cascading effect on domestic fuel and cooking gas has been rapid.
For the average middle-class and lower-income families in West Bengal, the cooking gas price rise means cutting corners on essential nutrition and education. Demonstrators pointed out that while subsidies have been drastically reduced or eliminated for many, the base price of the cylinder continues to climb, pushing many rural and semi-urban households back toward traditional, polluting solid fuels like wood and coal.
A Coordinated Political Strategy
Political analysts note that this aggressive street mobilization by the state’s ruling party serves a dual purpose. Not only does it channel genuine public anger over the cost of living, but it also solidifies the party’s core voter base among women. By keeping the spotlight on central economic policies and inflation, the ruling party is setting the narrative for upcoming local and state-level political battles.
Heavy police deployment was seen across the protest route to manage the massive crowds and redirect traffic, though the demonstration remained largely peaceful. The activists have warned of further, more intensified statewide blockades if the central government does not announce immediate relief measures to stabilize LPG cylinder prices.
