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Left to oppose hike in petroleum prices |
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Upbeat on their victory in the recently held Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, the Left parties have said that they will fight tooth and nail any move by the UPA Govern¬ment to increase the prices of petroleum products. At a meeting in New Delhi on June 1, the four Left parties said they will involve other parties in all India protest action which can be a general strike. The Left leaders resented the Government’s in¬sistence on going ahead with a price revision ignoring their demand for restructuring taxes on petroleum products.
In an effort to build a coalition against hike in petroleum prices, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday, May 29. The CPI(M) chief is expected to talk to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and non-BJP constituents of the National Democratic Alliance to gather sup¬port on the issue.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in the meantime, is be¬lieved to have advised Petroleum Minister Murli Deora to spare kerosene and cooking gas from any price hike.
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