Congress, Left, TMC walk out of Lok Sabha protesting cooking gas price hike

The Congress, Left and Trinamool Congress (TMC) walked out of the Lok Sabha on Friday over the issue of hike in cooking gas price.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of increase in the gas price by Rs 2 every month. He was supported by the Left and the TMC.

"The price of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) was Rs 466 in 2016. It was increased six times in the past two years and now (it) is Rs 737 per cylinder," Kharge said.

"Crude prices have fallen in the international market, why is the benefit not being passed to the people?" he asked.

According to the Congress, the government was cheating those who gave up gas subsidy by increasing LPG prices.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, however, said the prices had to be increased as the price of LPG in the international market went up from $471 to $564 per metric tonne in the last one month.

"You should not mislead the house," Kumar said.

According to Ananth Kumar, an Empowered Group of Ministers in 2010 had decided that price of the LPG would be increased by Rs 2 a month.

"The credit for the hike therefore goes to Mallikarjun Kharge and Manmohan Singh," he said, triggering an uproar in the opposition benches.

The members denied the government's claim and soon after the members from the Congress, Left and the TMC staged a walkout.