LF demands rollback of petrol price hike

The Left Front on Friday demanded rollback of the petrol price hike and announced a six-day long protest programme in West Bengal.

"There has been no increase in international crude oil prices for the last two years, so the petrol price hike is unjustified.

Petrol prices have gone up by Rs 25 during this period.

"We demand a complete rollback", Left Front chairman Biman Bose told newspersons after a meeting of the Front.

Protest programmes against the hike will be held by Leftist organisations throughout the state from May 26 to May 30 and rallies will be organised on May 31, he said.

"We do not believe that the Centre has nothing to do. It is true that deregulation of petrol prices have been made but oil companies discuss before effecting hikes with the government . . . It was on the direction of the central government that the oil companies effected the hike only after the Parliament session was over", Bose, also a Communist Party of India-Marxist Politburo member, alleged.

Asked about the oil companies' contention that the petrol price rise was necessary because of depreciation of rupee against dollar, Bose said the Rupee depreciated because of 'incompetence of the Centre."

"They (Centre) did not perform their duties properly", he said.

Bose also criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress saying that while it was holding rallies against the hike it has not done anything to reduce the state sales tax on petrol.