KOLKATA: The Left parties will continue their agitation against the increase in fuel prices till the Centre decides to completely roll back the prices, chairman of the Left Front Committee Biman Bose has said. But there is no plan to call a strike over the issue in West Bengal immediately.

Mr. Bose who is also Secretary of the State Committee of the Communist Party of India [Marxist] was addressing demonstrators outside the regional office of Indian Oil Corporation here on Tuesday. He blamed the United Progressive Alliance Government for surrendering to the dictates of international financial agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The State Government ruled out any reduction in the oil prices till the Centre did so.

Sit-in demonstrations and rallies were held outside the offices of public sector undertakings across the State as part of the nation-wide stir called by the Left and some regional parties. The demonstrations were organised by the constituents of the Left Front and Left trade unions.

Leaders who addressed the demonstrators said the fuel price hike would have a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities.

The decision was "anti-people and unilateral" as the Government had ignored the suggestion of the Left parties for restructuring the import tax structure on oil to compensate for the increase in the international crude prices.

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