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| | Diesel price hike: UPA allies, oppn demand rollback | | | NEW DELHI, Sep 14 (Agencies):BSP chief Mayawati today criticised the UPA government for increasing diesel price and restricting supply of subsidised cooking gas and demanded immediate roll back of the "anti-people decision".
"Reeling under the pressure of continued price hike of petrol, the common man has been further subjected to more hardships with this decision of unprecedented diesel price hike of Rs five per litre as well as quota of six LPG gas cylinders per family," Mayawati said in a statement.
DMK, a key ally of UPA, said it was not consulted by the Centre on price hike and insisted on its rollback.
"If they had consulted (us), there would have been no need for me to issue a statement yesterday condemning the price hike," M. Karunanidhi told reporters here while replying to a question.
Meanwhile, SAD also demanded immediate rollback of the decision and warned if it is not done the party would launch an agitation.
"The hike in diesel price would have a cascading effect on prices of essential commodities which were already beyond the reach of the common people. This hike would adversely effect the transport sector as well as already suffering debt ridden peasantry," a Shiromani Akali Dal spokesman said.
The government had yesterday hiked diesel prices by a steep Rs 5.62 per litre and restricted supply of subsidised cooking gas to six cylinders per household in a year to fetch an additional Rs 20,300 crore.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today termed the hike in diesel price and restriction on LPG cylinders as a "breakdown" of the Centre's economic policies and demanded immediate rollback of the decision.
"It is a breakdown and failure of the economic policy of the Government of India. Steep rise of diesel price will affect every person, particularly the poor," Patnaik said.
Observing that price rise will hit essential commodities and food, Patnaik said the transport cost would also increase.
"We demand immediate roll back of the diesel price," he said.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said since international prices of crude oil had risen, the "government has been forced to take such a step".
BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the restriction on LPG cylinder will have a minimum burden of Rs 750 every month on each family.
"The government it seems has become careless and adopted a 'we don't care' approach towards people," he said, adding that the government's slogan given before the polls of Congress' hand with the common man now seems to have become "Congress' hand is a betrayal with the people".
Mamata said in Kolkata, "We are unhappy and astonished that in spite of the formation of the UPA coordination committee after a long time, such a decision was taken without consulting us,"
Demanding a rollback, the Left said it will discuss with other political parties the issue of launching a "powerful" movement against the hike and also took the opportunity to attack Trinamool Congress for its "hypocrisy and double standards".
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said both the diesel price hike and LPG restriction will hit the common people and said his party will strongly protest the move.
Charging the Centre with lacking economic ideas to tackle the fuel price hike, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanded immediate rollback of diesel price and the ceiling on supply of subsidised cylinders. |
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