By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Slamming the government for effecting “steep hike” in fuel prices, Left parties today announced week-long agitation across the country from tomorrow to protest the “unjustified burden” imposed on the common man.
The four parties, which extend crucial outside support to the UPA government, also decided to organise 12-hour shutdown tomorrow in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, the states in which they are in power.
Dubbing the price hike of petrol, diesel and LPG as an “onslaught” on the people, they demanded a roll-back of the decision.
“The Left parties demand that the UPA Government review the decision on the price hikes,” Left leaders Prakash Karat (CPIM), A B Bardhan (CPI), Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc) and T J Chandrachoodan (RSP) said in a joint statement.
They said the decision would put “unjustified burden” on the people who are already suffering from the steep rise in prices of all essential commodities.
To protest the decision, Left parties will mobilise the people to conduct hartals, strikes, picketing, blocking rail and road traffic and hold demonstrations.
Left parties have also called for a dawn-to-dusk general strike in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.
Karat said he had requested senior leaders of TDP and Samajwadi Party besides other political outfits to join the agitation against the fuel price hike.
The parties pointed out that the hike will “further aggravate” the inflationary situation and asked the government to cut excise duties more and impose windfall taxes on private oil companies and refineries.