Bengaluru

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday flayed the Centre for steep hike in commercial LPG cylinder refill prices and termed it a failure of the union government's assurances on inflation and price stability.

The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on Friday, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.

Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to say that prices would not be increased and spoke about controlling inflation. "Today, I am seeing the reality. It seems he is unable to do what he said," he told reporters in Kalaburagi.

He also slammed people for still backing Modi.

"I do not understand public opinion. Why do people still justify such policies or ideology that have brought the country into such a difficult situation? That is very surprising to me," Kharge said.

Congress leaders in Karnataka said that the commercial LPG hike would severely impact hotel owners, small vendors and daily wage earners.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar accused the BJP-led Centre of "burdening" the poor.

"The BJP government is betraying poor people of this country. They were waiting for the elections to get over, and immediately after voting, they had increased price hikes across the board. Today, a situation is being created where hotels may have to shut down," he told reporters in Bengaluru.

"They (BJP leaders) have brought the situation leading to the 'firewood Bhagya' scheme, but the Forest Department does not allow people to bring firewood home," he alleged.

Shivakumar said the Centre promoted schemes like Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and took photos claiming credit. "Now, if prices are increased by about Rs 1,000, how are people supposed to live," he asked.

PMUY was launched in May 2016, to provide free LPG connection to adult women from poor households across the country.

The Deputy CM said the state government's welfare guarantees were aimed at cushioning such impacts.

Keeping this in mind, the Congress government in Karnataka gave five guarantees. Today, the state government is extending various forms of assistance to around 1.5 crore families, he added.

Shivakumar, who is also the Congress Karnataka unit president, said the hike is unacceptable and his party will protest.

Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the LPG hike has disrupted livelihoods across sectors.

"Immediately after the elections, you can see that gas cylinder prices, which had not increased earlier, are now being raised. Because of this, many hotels are shutting down. Lakhs of auto drivers who run gas-powered autos are losing their daily income," he claimed.

READ MORE: Rana Siddiqui broke barriers to become a name to reckon with in journalism

Even small vendors, those running tiny idli stalls, who depend on their daily income to survive, are also being affected, he told reporters here.

According to hoteliers, the price of commercial LPG cylinders in Bengaluru has risen from Rs 2,031 to Rs 3,153 following the latest hike.