AIADMK to agitate on petrol issue tomorrow

Puducherry, June 8 (UNI) The Puducherry unit of the AIADMK will stage a demonstration in front of the head post office here tomorrow to protest the price hike of petroleum products, party State Secretary A Anbazhagan, MLA, said today.

Addressing a press conference here, he charged the Congress with giving indirect support to the bandh called by the Left parties here yesterday.

Ten buses were damaged in the bandh and people put to untold hardships.

The AIADMK would organise the agitation in such a way that the public were not affected.

Stating that Andhra Pradesh and Delhi had taken measures to check the price of petroleum products, Mr Anbazhagan demanded that Puducherry also follow suit.

Pointing out that no action had been taken to reduce the price of petroleum products even after AICC President Sonia Gandhi had appealed to the Congress-ruled States to reduce sales tax to check the price, he wondered whether there was Congress rule in Puducherry.

Mr Anbazhagan said the allotment of fuel to Puducherry was being smuggled out to Tamil Nadu, resulting in tax evasion to the tune of Rs 100 crore per year.

He demanded that a permit system directly between the oil companies and Puducherry be evolved.

The party would send a letter to the Union Home Ministry, seeking its intervention in the alleged irregularities, he added.

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