Left to resist hike in petrol and diesel prices

New Delhi, July 27: The Left parties today cautioned the Manmohan Singh government against any hike in the pricing of petrol and diesel, suggesting a slew of measures, including drastic reduction of excise and customs.

The Left leaders also made it clear that 'any unwarranted' hike would be opposed.

The CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc claimed that there is no such international hike in the crude oil at the moment and asked the government not to indulge in any such move, which will have cascading effect on the prices of all essential commodities.

The Left parties' claim came a day after Petroleum and Gas Minister Murli Deora said that even the government was trying very hard to ensure that prices are not increased, but refused to give a firm committment on the issue.

''I cannot make a statement that they will never be raised,'' Mr Deora said.

CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi reminded how the Left parties had always made a strong case for drastic reduction of excise and duties on petrol and diesel.

''This can be done by evolving a mechanism so as to reduce the non priced revenues, which comprise almost 50 per cent of selling prices,'' the CPI leaders said, adding, that the fluctuation in the international prices should not be transformed on the consumers as any rise would further burden the man on the street, the poor and the lower middle classes.

CPI(M) senior leader Rup Chand Pal said the Left parties would oppose any such rise. Emphasising the immediate need of setting up a Price Rise Stablisation Fund and wanted to know whether the government had spent Rs 5,000 crore, which was collected by it in the form of cess on petrol, petro-products excluding kerosene.

Mr Pal, the party Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, said the Left parties had already submitted detailed note to the government, wherein the demand for restructuring the tax regime was prominently stressed.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the government must keep in mind that the price hike will not only rise inflation but also break the backbone of the working classes, who are increasingly distancing themselves from the ruling coalition.

The Left leaders also took strong view of the Home ministry's proposed Foreign Contributions Regulation Bill 2006, which they said stood for draconinan licence raj, giving raft of discretionary powers to the bureaucrates.

The Bill, rubbished as ''alarming'' even by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, the Congress leaders and former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan, they said the proposed bill would vest the bureaucrates with unlimited powers to clamp any group politically inconvenient to them.

UNI