Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Petrol-diesel price hike will hurt the State most: Left

Special Correspondent

CPI(M) calls for protests at the area committee level

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Left parties and trade unions have termed the Central Government decision to hike petroleum product prices a major blow to Kerala.

In separate statements here on Tuesday, the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and CITU leadership regretted the Manmohan Singh Government's refusal to accept the seven-point proposals submitted by Left parties to avert another increase in petroleum product prices and said that the worst-hit would be a consumer State like Kerala.

In its statement, the CPI(M) State secretariat called upon party units and mass organisations to organise rallies and sit-in at the area committee level to protest against the price hike. While expressing relief at the decision not touching the prices of cooking gas and kerosene, the CPI(M) leadership felt that the Centre should have accepted the Left's proposals to avert the increase. Kerala will the worst hit by the price hike as there will be a resultant flare-up in the prices of essentials, it added.

`Roll back sales tax'

CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan urged the State Government to mitigate the hardship of the people by partial roll back of the sales tax on petrol and diesel. He accused the Central Government of having adopted the easy way of jacking up prices rather than considering the proposals submitted by the Left parties.

The CITU State secretariat appealed to the State Government to slash the sales tax on petrol and diesel.

RSP State secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said frequent hike in petroleum prices would render life in a consumer State like Kerala unbearable. He said it was inappropriate on the part of the Centre to have rejected the Left's suggestions for withdrawal of road cess, reduction in excise duty, constitution of a price stabilisation fund and realisation of the Rs.10,500 crores that Reliance Industries owed the Government in excise duty.

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