Protest Against Petrol Price Hike
Members of the Communist parties (left) staging a demonstration in the city on Thursday over the increase in the price of fuel; members of the BJP lawyers’ wing pulling a car to indicate that petrol is unaffordable. Communist parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged separate demonstrations in the city on Thursday to condemn the increase in fuel price. While the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) staged a joint demonstration to criticise the Central Government for placing a huge burden on the people with the price increase, members of the lawyers’ wing of the BJP pulled a car by a rope to point out that petrol had become unaffordable. Five to six bays at the Ukkadam Bus Stand wore a deserted look as bus services to Kerala were suspended owing to a strike in that State to protest against the price increase.
All bus services of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation were not operated during the 12-hour strike. A joint statement by CPI (M) district secretary P.R. Natarajan and CPI district secretary R.A. Govindarajan accused the Central Government of ignoring various alternative measures suggested by the Communist parties to tackle the situation in the wake of the rise in the price of crude oil. Instead of adopting some of these measures, it increased the price of petrol and LPG.
Demanding a rollback of the increase, the parties said another demonstration would be staged in the city on Saturday. In another joint statement, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions and All India Trade Union Congress condemned the “unilateral decision” decision of the Government to increase the fuel price.The unions said they had resolved to make total the strike in protest against the increase on June 7. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) also staged a demonstration to condemn the price rise.
BJP State secretary G.K.S. Selvakumar said the transportation costs would increase because of the petrol price rise. As a result, the prices of all essential commodities would also go up. He urged the Communist parties, who were protesting against the increase, to withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre. Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangham president M.R. Sivasamy said in a statement that farmers would be affected by the increase. A steep rise in the price of LPG and petrol would certainly hit their daily life and also increase the cost of input for agriculture.
Greater agony would be piled on farmers who were already reeling under various problems.Dr. Sivasamy stressed using alternative resources to produce fuel instead of depending on fossil fuel alone. He pointed out that Brazil was not affected by the international crude price rise because it produced ethanol from sugarcane and use 30 per cent of it in petrol. In addition to this, the country also produced diesel from some crops. India should also look to producing fuel from its vast agricultural resources, including jatropha and sugarcane, he said.
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh said in a release that the price rise had been so steep that the cost of lunch had risen from Rs.40 to Rs.100. This showed how food was becoming unaffordable. The Tamil Nadu Retired Government Employee’s Association condemned the rise in the price of LPG by Rs.50.
