Petro price hike: Left announces protest plan

Apparently ready for a price hike in petroleum products, the Left loudly announced its opposition to it but stopped short of withdrawing support to the government on this issue.

Instead, it announced its charter of plans: first, spontaneous demonstration when - and not if - the prices are raised, to be followed by a general strike.

"If the government announces a hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, which is likely next week, then the Left parties and other organisations will come out spontaneously to oppose the move. We will contact other political parties and give a joint call for a nationwide protest including a general strike," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told mediapersons after a 90-minute meeting of the four Left parties supporting the UPA from outside.

Alleging that the government had ignored Left suggestions for alternatives to a price hike, including reducing customs and excise duties, Karat said the Left was not for a "negotiated hike" in petro prices and was totally against any rise as it would have a multiplier effect on the prices of essential commodities that were already high.

Asked which other parties would they invite to join the proposed nationwide protest against any hike in the petrol prices, the leaders said all parties barring the Congress and the BJP would be contacted.

The Left parties, the CPI(M) leader said, also decided to prepare a comprehensive note on the two-year performance of the UPA government and submit it to the Left-UPA coordination committee for discussion.

The note would spell out the areas of concern, the areas of differences between the ruling coalition and the outside supporters and the issues which the government should immediately take up.

Besides economic issues like rise in prices of essential commodities, disinvestment and airport privatisation, the note would also deal with foreign policy issues. Non-implementation of 'pro-people' commitments in the CMP, like the Women's Reservation Bill or the legislation on unorganised workers and agricultural labourers, would also find a place in the note.

The Left move to chalk out a nationwide action plan on the petroleum price issue and invite non-Congress and non-NDA parties is aimed at creating a broader platform which could lead to the formation of the proposed 'third alternative'.

The parties have been saying that such an alternative would not be purely election-oriented and would emerge from joint movements on commonly-agreed issues.

Today's meeting was the first after the recent round of Assembly elections in which the Left parties have fared well, particularly in West Bengal and Kerala.

The meeting came after the four parties held meetings of their respective decision-making bodies in the recent past.