Left parties demonstrate against fuel price hike in Odisha demand prompt roll back

    Bhubaneswar, Jun 30 (PTI) Leading left parties staged
a demonstration here on Tuesday against rising fuel prices and
demanded immediate roll back of the hike, a day the Congress
held a sit-in to press for reduction of petrol and diesel
rates.
    Workers and leaders of the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML)
Liberation and All India Forward Bloc demonstrated at Master
Canteen Square holding banners and placards, accusing the
BJP-led government at the Centre of being insensitive and
resorting to "forcible collection of taxes" from "helpless"
people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
    "The manner in which the fuel prices have been hiked
recently shows that the Narendra Modi government is utterly
insensitive towards the sufferings of people, whose financial
backbone has been broken because of the coronavirus outbreak,"
CPI state secretary Asish Kanungo said.
    Noting that repeated and "unjust" hike in fuel rates
have a cascading impact on different sectors, the Left party
leaders said it has led to considerable increase in prices of
essential commodities, compounding the miseries of the
common people.
    "Since June 7 till June 24, the central government has
consecutively increased the prices of petrol and diesel,
leading to a further hike of Rs 10.48 per litre for diesel and
Rs 8.50 per litre for petrol," they said.
    While crude oil prices have gone down over the last
few months, fuel prices skyrocketed in India as the Centre
seeks to "indulge in extortion", the Left party leaders
alleged.
    Demanding immediate measures for roll back of the hike
in fuel rates, they also sought a special financial package
for people in view of the COVID-19 crisis. PTI SKN
RBT RBT

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)