UPA-Left meet skips fuel price hike issue

New Delhi, June 15 (UNI) The UPA today endorsed the Left concern over the price rise of essential commodities, growing terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East and the threat of communalism assuring that the government would take stringent steps to contain them.

During the eleventh UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting held at the Prime Minister's residence, the issue of the recent fuel price hike was not discussed as it was not included in the agenda.

Besides, the absence of Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora who are both abroad made a discussion on the issue meaningless.

According to Left sources, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi told the Left leaders, including CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, that the government was ''much concerned over the rising prices of essential commodities and it was ''really a very serious issue''.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured to ''do the needful'', the sources added.

But the Left leaders insisted that there seemed to be no meeting point between the government and the Left on the issue of the fuel price hike.

''We have told the government very clearly that you have to take necessary steps to bring down the fuel prices,'' Forward Bloc General Secretary D Biswas told UNI.

The Left leaders also told the UPA leadership that the other reasons for price rise included forward trading, hoarding and decline in foodgrain production. Besides, the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) had been diluted, they said.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil while agreeing with the Left viewpoint on terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East and communal situation in the country, assured that the government would definitely look into the suggestions put forward by them.

According to Mr Biswas, the Left impressed upon the government that terrorist violence was not a law and order problem, but several social, political, administration and economic factors were responsible.

On the need to combat the communal forces, the Left leaders made it clear to the government that it had to fight it out.

''Today's meeting revolved around mainly political issues but we could not get concrete answers from the government,'' Mr Karat told UNI after the two-hour meeting.

Deviating from norms, no Left leaders were present when the media was briefed about the outcome of the meeting attended by the Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Mr Karat, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan and CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.

''The meeting was very satisfactory,'' said Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Prithviraj Chavan, who declined comment on the nine-page note submitted by the Left parties to the government yesterday.

Mr Chavan said the meeting discussed the present state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir and the ongoing dialogue initiated by the government, the communal situation in the country, the scenario in the North-East and regarding price rise and steps being taken by the government.

The next UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting will be held in July.

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