Left parties call for bandh in TN on June 7

Chennai, June 4 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and CPI today called for a bandh in Tamil Nadu on June seven, to protest against the hike in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

CPI(M) State Secretary N Varadarajan and CPI State Secretary D Pandian condemned the price hike and called for a general strike to protest the hike and demand its roll back.

Describing the hike as ''atrocious'', Mr Varadarajan said the hike would affect all sections of the society and trigger rise in prices of all other commodities.

The Congress-led UPA Government deserved severe condemnation for hiking the prices as it ignored the alternative measures suggested by the Left parties to tide over the crisis following the rise in prices of crude oil, he said.

CPI National Secretary D Raja announced a week-long nationwide agitation, involving the Left parties and all sections of the society.

He said the Left parties have suggested that the governments should come foward to reduce the taxes on petroleum products and levy taxes on private oil companies, which were making huge profits.

Mr Pandian said the UPA Government had ignored the suggestions given by the Left parties and passed on the burden to the common people by hiking the prices.

The Centre had not only hiked the prices of petroleum products, but also paved the way for the rise in prices of other commodities.

The steep hike of petroleum products was the culimination of ''wrong'' economic policies, being pursued by the UPA Government in the last four years, he charged.

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