Left parties in Bihar protest against hike

Patna, June 13 (UNI) Left parties and their affiliated trade unions today organised protests across Bihar as part of the nationwide agitation against the increase in prices of petrol and diesel.

The CPI, CPI (M), CPI (ML), Forward Bloc, RSP and SUCI took out a joint protest march and burnt an effigy of the UPA government.

State secretary of the CPI Badri Narain Lal said the Left parties were in favour of a total rollback of the price hike which, he added, would have a cascading effect resulting in increase in prices of essential commodities.

State secretary of the CPI(ML) Ram Jatan Sharma said the hike in petro prices was an 'anti people' act which would create inflationary pressure on the economy.

By reducing the excise duty on petrol and diesel, the Centre could easily prevent the common man from facing the brunt of the international oil price hike.

Addressing the meeting, state secretary of the CPI(M), Vijay Kant Thakur said that centre earned Rs 76,000 crores from the taxes on petro products and it could easily pass on the benefits to the common man by reducing the taxes. Price of petro products should be fixed on the basis of production cost, he added.

Meanwhile, district reports said that the movement of commercial vehicles was partially hit while Muzaffarpur, Begusarai and some other districts witnessed thin or no movement of the vehicles in the areas.

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