NCP asks Left to withdraw stir against fuel price hike

New Delhi, June 06 (UNI) Strongly supporting the government decision to hike fuel prices, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today appealed to the Left parties to discontinues its nation-wide agitation demanding a rollback.

"It was an unavoidable and inevitable decision due to the unprecedented pressures of rising international crude oil prices," NCP General Secretary D P Tripathi told mediapersons.

Pointing out that the Left parties had been extending outside support to the government, he said the Left might understand the economic realities that forced the government to take the decision which imposed only "minimum burden" on the common man.

On the Karnataka assembly elections, he said one lesson all democratic forces should learn from the results was that there should be maximum unity among secular forces.

In this context, he said the NCP decided not to contest the Karnataka elections as it did not want to divide secular votes.

Mr Tripathi said the voting figures showed that secular forces put together more votes than the BJP.

He said the NCP would complete nine years of its existence on June 10. A week-long celebration marking the occasion would be inaugurated by Party President Sharad Pawar at Pune on June 10.

UNI SH HS RN1855