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Oil price hike: CPI(M) warns of protests

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: Reiterating its total opposition to any move to raise the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday warned of a nationwide protest movement with other Left and secular Opposition parties if the UPA government went ahead with the hike.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat refuted suggestions that the Left parties had been consulted on the proposed hike.

“There will be no talk on price hike. We are asking the government to take alternative measures, including a cut in import and excise duties, to help meet the international situation,” he said.

Mr. Karat was briefing journalists here after a meeting of the party’s Central Committee.

He said the Left parties had been suggesting a package of measures which would help to meet the steep increase in the international oil prices. These include a reduction in import duty from 5 to 0 per cent, cut in excise duties on petrol and diesel, setting up of a price stabilisation fund with the oil cess contribution, taxing the windfall profits being made by private oil companies and refineries and an end to the import parity pricing system. “It is unfortunate that the UPA government has not taken seriously any of these measures,” the Central Committee noted.

Farm loan waiver, the Karnataka election results and the West Bengal Panchayat elections were also discussed by the Central Committee. He admitted that there was some setback to the CPI(M) and the Left Front in certain districts of West Bengal.

“The apprehensions about land acquisition which has led to loss of support in some areas need to be removed. The plan for industrialisation must take this into account. Proper lessons must be drawn from the reversal suffered in certain areas... ”

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