By IANS,
New Delhi: Criticising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for justifying the fuel price hike, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday said the prime minister should have made an “adjustment” in the tax structure rather than hiking fuel prices that will devastate the majority of the people in the country.
Justifying the hike, the prime minister, while attending the G-20 Summit in Canada said: “The adjustment made in the prices of kerosene and cooking gas was necessary considering the very high subsidy that is implicit in their pricing structure.”
The latest issue of CPI-M mouthpiece “People’s Democracy” said: “In the interest of the “Aam Aadmi” (common man), the prime minister should have made an ‘adjustment’ in the tax structure rather than hike prices that will devastate the vast majority of our people.”
“Having assumed office in the name of the aam aadmi, the UPA-2 government is resorting to devastate the livelihood of the people. This is simply unacceptable,” said the CPI-M, urging the people to send a strong message to the government through the forthcoming nationwide hartal (strike) July 5.
The government, last month, had increased the price of petrol by Rs.3.50 a litre, diesel by Rs.2, kerosene by Rs.3 and cooking gas cylinder by Rs.35.
Calling it as “economic authoritarianism” like Indira Gandhi’s “political authoritarianism” during the emergency 35 years ago, the CPI-M said: “Public pressure must be mounted through popular protest actions to force the government to roll back this merciless attack on the livelihood of the vast majority of our people.”
“The nationwide hartal on July 5 must be made a resounding success,” the editorial said.