Days before the passage of the Finance Bill in the Parliament, Left party leaders on Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded urgent steps by the United Progressive Alliance government to check growing prices of essential commodities.
Top leaders of four Left parties, supporting the government placed six demands before him, saying these measures should be taken immediately to curb burgeoning prices.
"We want the price rise to be curbed immediately. We have placed six demands before the PM and hope the government will take immediate steps to implement them," Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters after the 45-minute-long meeting.
Asked about the response of the prime minister, Karat said he assured them that these demands would be considered.
Asked whether the demands would have an impact on the passage of the Finance Bill, Karat said, "There are one or two demands, which are linked to the Finance Bill. The others are broader issues."
The demands put forward by them included strengthening Public Distribution System and restoring cuts made in supply of foodgrains to states under the PDS.
They also sought a ban on forward and future trading in 25 essential commodities as recommended by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
The Left leaders also demanded that Customs and Excise duties be cut on petroleum products.
They said stringent action should be taken against blackmarketeers and hoarders.
They also wanted curbs on the procurement of foodgrains by private companies and traders.
They demanded that the limit of public declaration of stocks by a trader should be reduced to 10,000 tonnes, which at present was 50,000 tonnes.
Besides Karat, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yetury, CPI leaders A B Bardhan and D Raja and RSP leader Abani Roy were present at the meeting.