Left to launch nationwide joint movement to protest price hike

Kolkata, May 28 (UNI) The Left parties will launch a nationwide joint movement with other democractic and secular forces in protest against the Centre's proposed hike in the price of petroleum products and demanding reduction of tax burden on oil.

At its Polit Bureau meeting, which concluded here today, the CPI(M) decided that a detailed programme for the proposed movement would be worked out at a meeting with other Left parties in New Delhi on June One, party's General Secretary Prakash Karat said.

The party would also contact other political parties to join the broadbased movement.

'' We will talk to all political parties to participate in a concerted countrywide movement against the proposed rise in the prices of petroleum products which will be fifth over the last two years. We are contacting all the national and regional parties and we are confident that they would join us, '' Mr Karat told reporters.

He said the proposed meeting would also take up for discussion a few other issues on which the Left parties differed with the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre.

The Polit Bureau resolved that the party should conduct a natiwnwide political campaign projecting the political and policy issues which the CPI(M) and the Left stood for. The party's Central Committee would work out details of this campaign at its next meeting to be held in Hyderabad from June eight to ten.

To a question whether the party would strive for a Third alternative or put pressure on the UPA Government to make it fall in line, Mr Karat said, " both can go together. " Mr Karat said the proposed hike in petroleum prices would have a cascading effect on the essential commodities, prices of which had already shot up afflicting the people.

He alleged that by refusing to review the taxation structure for petroleum products the Government had imposed a big burden on the common poeple.

" Without reduction of the tax burden on petroeum products, any attempt to impose added burdens on the people will have no justification and has to be strongly resisted, " he said.

The Politbureau, however, put a stamp of approval on the Government's decision to introduce 27 per cent reservation for OBC in higher educational institutions from the next academic year, saying a commensureate increase in the total number of seats was the "most equitable and balanced solution" to the problem.

" We support the reservation from the next academic year. We had asked the Government to increase the total number of seats and the Government proposes to do that. We appeal to the agitating students to withdraw their strike, " Mr Karat said.

Maintaining its stand on the issue of privatisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports, Mr Karat demanded that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) should be entrusted with the task of modernising the existing airport under its jurisdiction.

He ruled out any attempt to hand over the airport to private hands, stating that the AAI had reserved fund of Rs 3000 crore and it was fully competent to take up any such scheme.

Mr Karat, however, in the case of any greenfield project, discussions could be held over the possibility of private participation.

To a question whether the party would approve AAI floating global tenders for modernisation of airports, he said it was a normal procedure.

Expressing serious concern at the increasing prices of essentials, Mr Karat said the prices of all essential commodities, including medicine, sugar, cement and kerosene, had jacked up causing immense hardship to the commoners.

He said the party had observed that the government had failed to deal with the situation and instead it was smug that the rate of inflation had come down to four per cent.

'' It is in this context that the deterioration of Public Distribution System (PDS) is affecting the people. The UPA government-set limit for the distribution of BPL cards in the state has no relation with the number of poor people, '' Mr Karat iterated.

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