M A I N   N E W S

BJP men protest fuel price hike, held

New Delhi, June 16
Hundreds of BJP workers, led by party’s national Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, were arrested here today as they marched towards Parliament protesting the hike in fuel and LPG prices.

Besides Mr Naqvi, BJP Deputy Leader in Lok Sabhha V.K. Malhotra, Delhi unit president Harsh Vardhan and leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi were arrested for violation of prohibitory orders enforced in the area, Mr Naqvi told PTI.

Earlier, addressing party workers, Mr Naqvi and other leaders described the price hike as “anti-people, anti-farmer and most inappropriate.” The BJP leader said today’s protest was part of the nationwide agitation launched by the party and it would be intensified till the government rolls back its decision.

PATNA: BJP members today staged a noisy walkout from the Bihar Assembly during zero hour over the Centre’s decision to hike prices of petroleum products before the 2004-05 General Budget.

As soon as the House assembled for the day, vociferous BJP members shouted anti-Central Government slogans and demanded immediate revocation of the decision to hike the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

They were soon joined by JD (U) members who too demanded that the Centre should withdraw the “anti-farmer and anti-people decision.” Speaker Sadanand Singh asked the agitated members to raise the matter during zero hour to which the members agreed.

VIJAYAWADA: CPM activists today took out a rally in the city to protest against the hike in petroleum products prices.

B.V. Raghavulu, CPM state secretary, Koratala Satyanarayana, state CPM secretary member, Ch Babu Rao, city CPM unit secretary, who led the rally demanded the government to roll back prices of the petroleum products to safeguard the interests of the common man. — PTI

Different petro prices bring anomaly: CPM
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 16
The last word may not yet have been heard on the pricing of petrol and diesel as the increase in prices — especially of cooking gas — appears to have ruffled up a few political feathers.

The CPM today demanded a roll back of the hike in cooking gas price and the said that the Centre’s decision not touch import duties on petroleum products had brought about an “anomalous” situation.

Asking the government to “reconsider” the decision to increase the price of LPG by Rs 20 per cylinder, the CPM said that the government would have to rationalise the existing duty structure so that the “burden falling on the common people can be lessened”.

“The government has not dealt with the import duty structure. The 10 per cent import duty on crude oil and 20 per cent notional import duty on petroleum products has brought about an anomalous situation which increases the burden on the people”, the party said in a statement.

Demanding that the government make the pricing mechanism in the oil sector more transparent as against the present “opaque system which allows certain interests to garner benefits”, the party said that the increase in price of diesel of Re 1 per litre coupled with the announcement of hike in coal prices of 16.7 per cent would have a cascading effect in the economy.

“The government will have to take steps to meet such a situation”, it said.