Left Parties and VCK Protest LPG Price Hike and Railway Job Cuts in Tirunelveli

In Tirunelveli, Left political parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) jointly organized a demonstration on Monday to condemn the Union Government's recent policies. The protesters primarily opposed the unprecedented hike in commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder prices and the ongoing delays in distributing both commercial and domestic cylinders. They argued that these increases have severely impacted common citizens, leading to higher food prices at restaurants and roadside eateries, while disproportionately affecting migrant laborers amidst rising costs of essential commodities. The demonstrators demanded an immediate rollback of commercial LPG prices and urged the government to halt further fuel price hikes. Additionally, the groups criticized the Ministry of Petroleum for failing to anticipate supply issues stemming from the war in West Asia. The protest also addressed the Ministry of Railways' decision to cut approximately 29,000 jobs under the guise of manpower rationalization. Protesters warned that this move, affecting 2% of the railway workforce, would demoralize qualified unemployed youth and negatively impact job security within the public sector.