CPI (M) AGAINST INCREASE IN PETROLEUM PRICES

Having met at New Delhi on May 23, 2012, the Left parties --- CPI (M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc --- issued the following statement.

THE Left parties strongly oppose the proposed increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products being contemplated. 

Such an increase will be a cruel blow to the people who are already suffering from severe price rise.

The Left parties called upon all their party units to immediately organise protest actions when such price hikes are announced.

TRADE UNIONS PROTEST AGAINST HIKE IN PETROL PRICE

PETROL PRICE INCREASED FOR 8TH TIME IN A YEAR

CITU CONDEMNS HIKE IN PETROL PRICE

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CITU DENOUNCES THE UNJUST HIKE IN PETROL PRICE FUELLING THE INFLATION FURTHER

15th May 2011

The UPA Govt at the Centre is in its real colour as soon as the assembly elections in four states are over. No sooner than the election results are declared, the Govt announced the steepest ever price hike for petrol—Rs 5/- per litre. This is the ninth price hike of petrol in the span of last nine months.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions condemns such price hike in petrol, it being an utterly irresponsible action by a Govt totally insensitive to the miseries of aam admi owing to continuously rising food inflation. Such steep rise in petrol price is going to have cascading effect on the already rising prices of the essential commodities, making life of the poor more miserable.

The govt’s plea of rise in price of crude in the international market to 113.7 dollar per barrel while hiking the petrol price is totally unfounded as at least fifty per cent of the domestic petrol price is the tax component going to govt exchequer and the rupee-equivalent of the crude-price in international market along with the refining cost is much less than what is being charged for petrol in Indian domestic market. Therefore making a plea of rise in international price of crude to justify the price-hike in domestic market is nothing but an act of deception.

CITU demands upon the Govt to roll back the price hike in petrol and reduce the tax-burden (both excise and customs duties) on crude and petroleum products to a rational level.

CITU calls upon all affiliate unions in particular and working class in general to unitedly protest such anti-people decision of the UPA Govt on such steep hike in price of petrol that too with such quicker frequency, fleecing the common people in such a crude manner, through mass demonstration in the work-places, joint rallies, dharnas etc.

Courtesy: www.citucentre.org/

CITU DEMONSTRATION AGAINST PETRO PRICE HIKE

25-06-2010

CITU activists under the leadership of its senior leader and Vice President MK Pandhe held a protest demonstration and burned the effigy of the UPA II government at the busy ITO centre in New Delhi against the steep increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas and not even sparing kerosene. Several office bearers of CITU including Swadesh Dev Roye, Dipankar Mukherjee, Hemalata, Kashmir Singh Thakur, Shdha Bhaskar and S Punyavathi, working committee members including AR Sindhu, Amitava Guha and large number of CITU members from Delhi participated in the demonstrations.

Addressing the gathering, Pandhe severely condemned the insensitive attitude of the UPAII government towards the sufferings of the common people. In stead of controlling the rising prices, the UPA II government has increased the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene which would further increase the prices. He also criticised the decision of the government to link the prices of petroleum prices to international prices. He warned that this would further result in the price rise. Pandhe demanded the government to immediately withdraw the hike and also the decision to link the prices of petroleum products to international prices. He told that such demonstrations were being held all over the country and if the government did not withdraw its decision, CITU, along with all the other trade unions would intensify the struggle.

TAPAN SEN, MP, GENERAL SECRETARY, CITU WRITES TO PRIME MINISTER (on reports of deregulation of Petrol & Diesel pricing)

5th June 2010

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

There are disquieting reports that Empowered Group of Minister(EGOM) is scheduled to take up the issue of deregulating the pricing of petrol and diesel on 7th June 2010 as per Kirit Parikh Committee which is likely to increase price of these petroleum products by Rs. 3/- to Rs. 3.50 per litre. Such a decision apart from the cascading effect on the present unbearable inflation will also go against the following unanimous recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas placed in Parliament on 22.04.2010.

“The Committee note that the Expert Group headed by Dr. Kirit Parekh Committee has made several recommendations on ‘viable and sustainable pricing of petroleum products’. In this regard, the Committee urge the Government not to consider the expert group recommendations in isolation but to give due weightage to the recommendations made by the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas in their 6th and 10th Reports (14th Lok Sabha) on ‘Pricing of Petroleum Products’.”

You will kindly agree that Executive is accountable to Parliament and not vice-versa. Therefore the above recommendation read along with recommendations about made in 6th and 10th report (14th Lok Sabha) cannot be sidelined / ignored by Parikh committee appointed by the Executive. This in my humble opinion will to a large extent erode the credibility of Parliamentary Committees and Parliament. I therefore urge upon you to advise the EGOM not to take any decision before getting the same examined by the Parliamentary Committee constituted for this purpose.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,
Sd/-TAPAN SEN

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister

Government of India