Fuel price hike: Centre 'smothering' common people, says CPI(M)

Flaying the UPA government for "smothering" common people with repeated hikes in the prices of petroleum products, CPI(M) in Kerala today said lives of Indians should not be turned into something to "play with" for the profit of oil companies.

Issuing a statement in Thiruvananthapuram, CPI(M) state secretariat said the present hike in the prices of diesel, LPG and kerosene came close on the heels of last month's petrol price hike by Rs5.

The hike in kerosene and diesel would largely affect the common people. Diesel price hike would badly hit a consumer state like Kerala with goods traffic becoming costlier.

Since the Centre lifted the control on petroleum prices heeding to the will of oil company managements in June last year, petrol prices had gone up by Rs17. The companies were exploiting the people using the licence given to them to increase prices at will, the statement said.

It had now become clear that the government was waiting for the elections to five state assemblies to be over to announce steep hike, the statement alleged.

Meanwhile, workers of the CPI(M) youth wing DYFI and pro-CPI AIYF took out protest marches in Thiruvananthapuram today against the diesel price hike.