TMC Mahila Morcha protests gas price hike, beats pans and pots | Watch

Women leaders and supporters of the Trinamool Congress staged protests in Kolkata on International Women’s Day against the recent hike in LPG cylinder prices. Wearing black sarees and carrying household utensils, they took to the streets to express their anger over the rising cost of cooking gas. The protest was held at Subodh Mallick Square, where women workers symbolically demonstrated with gas cylinders and utensils such as pots, pans and ladles. The agitation was led by state ministers including Shashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya.

A day earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sharply criticised the central government over the LPG price hike during a protest programme. She alleged that the price of cooking gas had been increased multiple times, placing a heavy burden on ordinary households. Banerjee said that the price of a large gas cylinder had crossed ₹2,100 while smaller cylinders were also becoming increasingly expensive. She questioned how families would manage daily cooking if they had to wait weeks for cylinder bookings.

Calling for public participation in the protest, the chief minister had urged women to take to the streets with household utensils and wear black sarees as a mark of protest. Political observers believe the demonstrations could intensify political tensions in West Bengal as the state heads toward the upcoming assembly elections, with the ruling party attempting to mobilise women voters around the issue of rising fuel prices.