New Delhi: Left parties on Thursday demanded
immediate roll-back of petrol price hike saying Congress-led
Government has become totally insensitive to the woes of the
common man.
Both CPI-M and CPI also asked their state units to
protest the move by staging demonstrations in all nooks and
corners.
CPI's national secretary D Raja said the hike in petrol
prices was a big blow to the "Aaam Admi" at a time when food
inflation has reached double digits and prices of essential
commodities have shot up.
"It shows how insensitive, the Congress-led UPA
government continues to be to the suffering of the common
people," he said.
Alleging that there is "no transparency" in the fixation
of petrol prices, Raja rued that the decision has been taken
when the Prime Minister is away.
CPI-M leader Nilotpal Basu also said the Government was
"totally insensitive" to the miseries of the people.
"The taxation policy of hydro-carbon is totally
anti-people. Due to ad valorem taxes when the prices of petrol
increases, tax collection rises even more," he said.
Basu said that the hike has also come at a time when the
Petroleum ministry has already announced moves to hike diesel
and cooking prices. The CPI-M leader said that it will lead to
rise in prices of essential commodities.
Both leaders said the protest will be carried out all
over the country.
Oil companies today hiked petrol prices by Rs 1.80 per
litre to offset the fall in rupee that has made imports of
crude costlier.
After today's increase, petrol in Delhi will cost Rs
68.64 a litre. The rates will vary in other cities according
to local levies.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, November 03, 2011, 23:18