Oil price hike

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Not surprisingly, most regional language newspapers gave prominent coverage to the hike in petrol and diesel prices. In Karnataka, the oil price and the subsequent announcements on the possibility of the hike being watered down made for the day's lead stories. In the north, Dainik Jagran also carried the story as the day's lead, giving details of the hike. Newspapers were, however, divided on whether or not the hike was inevitable and the role of the government in preventing such a hike.

While Dainik Bhaskar editorially argued that the hike would hit the common man and that it was up to the government to find a solution, Punjab Kesari said there was no option and advised the BJP to tone down its opposition given that global prices had climbed to where they had. The paper reported the usual flip-flops, from the possibility of the hike being tempered after Sonia Gandhi said it was too high, to her meeting with Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, after which it was decided there would be no change. The story had a blurb which said even Gandhi had no reply to Deora's statement that states should reduce sales taxes to lower prices. Bhaskar also reported a similar line on the impact of state sales taxes.

In Karnataka, Vijaya Karnataka editorialised that the hike was due to international politics surrounding the demand for energy and access to oil resources. "But at the same time, the Indian government could have devised ways and means to check the prices from spiraling out of control. The sales tax and various other state taxes could have been lowered. Consequently, the burden would have been less," it said. Praja Vani carried a detailed report which said the price of petroleum has been upwardly revised 71 times in the past 16 years. In its editorial, it argued for lowering of state duties on petroleum and diesel. Kannada Prabha, which belongs to the New Indian Express group, was critical of the move. It pointed out that a large section of the population would be adversely affected by the move. It suggested that the Left parties take the lead in demanding rollback of the hike.

In Maharashtra, the news would have got more prominence but for the announcement of state HSC results and major developments in the Rahul Mahajan saga on Monday. The Wednesday edition of Marathi papers carried follow-up stories on the impact of the petrol and diesel price hikes. The Maharashtra Times called the hike inevitable; Sakal called it inflationary and suggested that the Central and state governments should have explored more options of duty cuts. Loksatta was the only newspaper which tried to make an analytical comment on the political fallout of this petroleum hike. The Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samana used the opportunity to criticise the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.