CPM fears kerosene, LPG prices may go up

New Delhi, Aug 21: Taking a serious view of the UPA government's failure to contain the spiralling price rise, the CPI(M) today expressed apprehension that the Congress-led coalition would move a cut on subsidy for kerosene, LPG and PDS wheat after the current session of parliament ended.

The Left party took the Manmohan Singh governent to task for its moves to ''dilute'' the PDS system and not holding a discussion on Approach Paper to the 11th Plan Approach paper during the ongoing session, which ends on August 25.

Addressing a press conference in the Parliament premises, CPI(M) Floor Leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia said that as the lower house was scheduled to discuss the Justice Pathak Authority Report tomorrow and the Indo-US nuclear deal the next day, therefore, they ''feared that they would not get the opportunity to raise peoples' issues during this session.'' Referring to the PM's Independence Day address where Dr Singh indicated a move to cut subsidies on kerosene and LPG, Mr Acharia noted that it would greatly affect the poor sections. ''Besides, the government during its 26-months rule, has hiked the prices of petrol and diesel six times, but never touched these two items used by the deprived sections and the lower middle classes,'' he added.

Deploring the government's ''miserable failure'' to check prices of essential commodities even as Finance Minister P Chidamabaram had assured the House twice that the government would take every step to ensure that the prices of essential commodities remained affordable and within the reach of common people, Mr Acharia said the government has chosen not take steps like repealing the Essential Commodities Act, passed during the NDA regime, containing black-marketing and hoarding and strengthening the public distribution system (PDS) among other things.

He also rued that the government had also not taken any step to introduce the Tribal Bill in Parliament.

''It should have by now acepted the three recommendations of the Joint Select Committee -- the cut-off date, the quantum and the question of the SCs and other poor classes' rights to forest land and brought in the Bill,'' he said.

UNI

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