India: Left holds countrywide protests against fuel price hike

Left parties along with affiliated trade unions Tuesday took out marches and held public meetings in protest against the fuel price hike, affecting normal life in some parts of the country.

The government last week increased the prices of petrol by Rs.4 per litre and of diesel by Rs.2 per litre to cut the losses of state-run oil marketing companies that have been hit by soaring global crude prices.

However, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, which props up the Manmohan Singh government from outside, says the price hike could have been avoided if the government had implemented the alternatives suggested by the Left, including slashing customs and excise duties on crude imports.

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