Kolkata, June 25 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) labour arm Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has called a 24-hour public transport strike in West Bengal Saturday to protest against the fuel price hike.
CITU state president Shyamal Chakraborty Friday announced that buses, taxis, auto rickshaws, trams, tourist taxis and trucks and lorries will come under the purview of the protest.
‘The strike will start at 6 a.m. Saturday and continue till 6 a.m. Sunday,’ Chakraborty said at a hurriedly called media meet.
Ambulances, media vehicles, emergency supplies like milk, and vehicles for private use will be exempted.
The Indian government Friday freed petrol from administrative control and hiked the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas in a major policy reform that will help improve its fiscal position and release funds for other programmes.
The politically sensitive decision is likely to stoke inflation which is already high and lead to further rise in prices of essential commodities like vegetables and food grains.
‘The increase in price of fuel will further raise the price of essentials. With the cooking gas prices sharply hiked, kitchens of the lower middle classes are now under attack. This is the third time that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has raised the fuel prices in one year,’ Chakraborty said.
The government hiked the prices of petrol by Rs.3.50 per litre, diesel by Rs.2 a litre, kerosene by Rs.3 a litre and cooking gas by Rs.35 per cylinder.
‘It is saying it will sell fuel at international prices as they buy them at international price. This is not fully true,’ Chakraborty said.
‘In our country, price of oil is more than that in the international arena. The main reason behind this is the high rate of taxes on oil. The income of the government every year from taxes imposed on oil is about Rs.56,365 crore,’ Chakraborty said.
Political observers, however, feel that the move is a desperate bid on the part of the CPI-M to check the fast erosion of its support base in the state ahead of next year’s assembly polls by clutching on to an issue which is bound to hit the common man hard.
