Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai on Tuesday said that BJP must absorb the hike in price of domestic cylinder and commercial cylinder of Rs. 60 and Rs. 114.50 respectively, and demanded that the AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to roll back the price hike.

Speaking to the reporters, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said that Opposition leader Mr. Palaniswami need not criticise the BJP, but faulted him for not even appealing to the Prime Minister to effect a roll back.

“All India LPG distributors association has written a letter....saying that those who have one cylinder should book after 21 days and those who have 2 cylinders should book their gas cylinders only after 30 days...taking us back in time when people were using fire-wood stoves,” he said. He added, “Let the government provide subsidy for gas cylinder....let the Centre absorb the price hike.”

Asked why the DMK couldn’t do its bit, Mr. Selvaperunthagai hoped that the State government was thinking about it though the price hike is under the purview of the Union Government.

Mr. Selvaperunthagai also said that Congress Rajya Sabha member Christopher Manickam alias Christopher Tilak was an “ordinary worker” of the party and thanked the DMK for allotting a Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress.