Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Left parties stage dharna

VIJAYAWADA: Demanding immediate withdrawal of the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, activists of the Left parties on Thursday staged agitations in the city. Holding party flags and placards with slogans against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a dharna at Raghavaiah Park on Bandar Road. They raised slogans against the Central government for “failing to bring down the prices of essential commodities” and burnt an effigy of the UPA government.

Members of the party’s city secretariat D. Vishnu Vardhan and Donepudi Kasinath alleged that the Union government had come out in its “true colours” after the elections. They said people would have to bear an additional burden of Rs. 30,000 crore due to the Government’s decision. Finding fault with the Government for announcing the decision unilaterally, the leaders said that it was unfair on the part of the Government to announce the decision just two days ahead of the budget session of the Parliament. Recalling the days when the price of the crude in international market had come down, they wondered why the Government did not reduce the oil prices then. They announced that the activists of the Left parties would continue to stage agitations, until the Government reversed its decision.

At Lenin Centre, activists of the Communist Party of India (CPI) burnt an effigy of the UPA Government. Secretary of the party’s city unit K. Subba Raju said that the hike in oil prices would have a cascading affect and the prices of the commodities would go up further. “People are already facing a worst situation due to the sky-rocketing prices. Instead of taking steps to reduce the prices, the Government has hiked the fuel prices only to make the lives of the poor miserable,” he said. Mr. Subba Raju observed that the oil prices in India were not on a par with the prices of the crude in the international market, but they were very high due to the taxation system. He demanded that the Government reduce the taxes on oil by at least 50 per cent.

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