The Hindu : National : Government compelled to hike oil prices: Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004

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National

Government compelled to hike oil prices: Congress

NEW DELHI, JUNE 15. The Congress said today that the United Progressive Alliance Government was ``compelled'' to hike the prices of petroleum products as the previous Bharatiya Janata Party-led Ministry had kept it on hold for six months in view of the elections.

Keeping in view the sharp increase in the prices of these products in international market, the Government had no option but to go for the hike. It had, however, taken all precautions to put ``minimum burden'' on the consumers, the party spokesman, Satyavrata Chaturvedi, told PTI here.

The burden had been shared by the Government as well as the oil companies and the burden put on the consumers was ``minimum," he said, rejecting the Opposition criticism of the hike.

Dubbing the hike in fuel prices as ``anti-people'' and ``anti-farmer," the BJP today threatened to take to the streets.

``It is ironic that hike in fuel and LPG prices is the first major decision of this Government, which claims to represent the common man,'' the party vice-president and spokesman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said.

The Left parties today opposed the hike in cooking gas price and asked the Government to ``reconsider'' the decision. They urged the Government to take all steps to stem the cascading effect of rise in petrol and diesel prices.

The Communist Party of India secretary, D. Raja, said the Government should ``reconsider'' the decision to increase prices of LPG, hiked by Rs. 20 a cylinder. He, however, welcomed the decision to cut various duties and to leave the kerosene prices untouched.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) felt that the hike in LPG prices should have been avoided.

The party's Polit Bureau member, M.K. Pandhe said: ``The Government should not have touched LPG, which is the middle-class fuel.'' — PTI

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