Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Fuel price hike

It is strange to see Opposition parties vying with one another to organise protest rallies against the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. When in power all parties hike fuel prices, citing the rise in the international market. This is one issue over which the government of the day cannot be faulted, as it has no control over international prices. Politicisation of a non-issue smacks of hypocrisy.

C.P. Srinivasan,
Chennai

Strikes and hartals are equally anti-people as they cripple normal life. No doubt it is necessary to convey the people's opposition to a move and pressure the Government into changing its policy. But it should be done by peaceful means. Parties should not take up the issue in turns and launch agitations every other day, affecting the common man.

V.K. Sathyavan Nair,
Kottayam, Kerala

The Congress is unhappy over the oil price hike. The Left, the BJP, and the Samajwadi Party are also opposed to the move. One wonders who runs the Government. Only the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, and the Petroleum Minister? Do they not belong to the Congress?

Col. C.V. Venugopalan (retd.),
Palakkad, Kerala

It was the BJP-led NDA Government that dismantled the administered pricing mechanism of petroleum products. The same BJP is now harping about the price hike. Besides, while protesting the hike, State Governments ruled by the BJP and the Left are not willing to forgo additional tax revenue. This is political hypocrisy of the highest order.

M.K. Abdul Majeed,
Thiruvananthapuram

The protests by the Left parties are nothing more than political gimmicks. Several times in the past two years, whenever petroleum prices have been hiked, they have protested similarly without any tangible result.

Manoj G. Kamath,
Thiruvananthapuram

Every party is opposing the hike without suggesting any viable alternative. Tax reduction is not a solution. Governments will be forced to increase taxes on other commodities to cope with the loss of taxes on fuel. The nation should have a policy on consumption and utilisation of petrol and diesel. We must reduce consumption. We pay hard earned foreign exchange for the import of fuel. The issue of foreign exchange is more important than the price hike.

V.V. Krishna Rao,
Vijayawada, A.P.

It is amusing to see people protesting the hike on the ground that it will have a cascading effect on the prices of other essential commodities. What they fail to realise is that the rise of petroleum prices is itself the cascading effect of rise in the price of crude in the international market.

S. Ananthan,
Chennai

Those calling for a reduction in taxes fail to look at the long stretch of road ahead. I agree with the Government on increasing taxes, and with the situation of the commodity becoming scarce, increasing the cost of fuel as exploration and import costs soar. We should be happy as citizens to fund this development. There are other ways of economising on fuel consumption. Better traffic management, better roads, and more congestion free motoring routes can help reduce fuel consumption.

Thomas Wilson,
Bangalore

The Congress' directive to party-ruled States to waive sales tax on the increased prices of petrol and diesel deserves praise. Similarly, the people expect the party to prevail upon the Centre to reduce excise duty, which is cited as the major reason for frequent price hikes. The interests of the aam aadmi are as important as the profits of the Navratna oil companies.

J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Srirangam, T.N.

The Congress has surely scored over the Left and the BJP. The two parties will do well to follow its example. Knowing fully well the factors that govern the regulation of petrol prices, the Opposition parties should refrain from carping and play a more constructive and responsible role.

M. Somasekhar Prasad,
Badvel, A.P.

The UPA Government has introduced politics even in the pricing of petrol. Why is there no standard and realistic policy? The spectacle of sales tax slash by some States and the Left's inability to take a proper stand on the issue clearly show that politicians mix politics and economics to hoodwink the people. And what is all this tamasha of protest within the Congress?

Singanallur Sundaram,
Hyderabad

Just as it reduced the price of diesel by 45 paise by forgoing sales tax on the incremental component, the Tamil Nadu Government should reduce the price of petrol too. Petrol-run vehicles have become essential for all categories of people.

C. Saravanakumar,
Thanjavur, T.N.

Let Tamil Nadu adopt a policy of differential pricing of petroleum products. Just as there is differential pricing of electricity charges based on residential, commercial, and industrial consumption, a person using a car for comfort can pay a higher price for petrol than one who uses a two-wheeler as a necessity.

R. Seshadri,
Chennai

Will protests halt the spiralling of fuel prices in the international market? Instead, they will burden the national exchequer further as governments will have to incur expenses on security. As responsible citizens, we should curtail fuel consumption. To begin with, parents and educational institutions can discourage students below 18 from using two-wheelers.

P. Jai Shankar,
Chennai

Coimbatore

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