The Hindu : National : Fuel price increase unjustified: UNPA

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Sunday, Feb 17, 2008
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Fuel price increase unjustified: UNPA

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The United National Progressive Alliance has demanded an immediate rollback of the “arbitrary and unjustified” hike in petrol and diesel prices, failing which it will launch a countrywide agitation along with the Left parties.

In a statement here on Saturday, UNPA convener and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu said the increase in fuel price, effected for the seventh time since the UPA came to power, would have a cascading effect on the prices of essential items and would lead to inflationary trends impacting the common man. Though tax collections were buoyant, the government had not altered the import duty structure that could have helped to avert the fuel price hike.

“This price increase is in continuation with the measures taken by the UPA government against the common man, which include reduction in subsidies on essential commodities such as gas, kerosene and foodgrains. The government has not been able to mitigate the price increase, nor has it taken any effective measure to protect the common man,” Mr. Naidu said.

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