The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : UNPA to protest fuel price hike

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Saturday, Feb 16, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

UNPA to protest fuel price hike

Special Correspondent

‘It will have cascading effect burdening commoners’

Demand to absorb hike in global crude price
Opposition demands adjournment notices on petrol price hike

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the United National Progressive Alliance and Left parties would launch a nationwide agitation against the “unjustified and unilateral” hike in petrol and diesel.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Naidu said the hike, for the seventh time since the UPA government took over, would cast a heavy burden on the common people. It would have cascading effect and the prices of essential commodities, already on the higher side, would shoot up further.

Supporting the Left parties’ view, he said the UPA government should reduce the tax component and absorb the hike in international crude price and give relief to the middle classes and the poor. The tax share at present was as high as 59 per cent and 40 per cent in respect of petrol and diesel respectively.

He said he had spoken to the CPI(M) and CPI general secretaries, Prakash Karat and A. B. Bardhan on Thursday and decided to launch the agitation jointly wherever it was possible. They all agreed the need for the UPA government to be transparent in fixing the price on fuel .

As soon as the proceedings began, members of the TDP, CPI(M), CPI and MIM were on their feet demanding that their adjournment notices on petroleum prices’ hike be taken up but Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy disallowed them. TDP members stormed the podium raising slogans .

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