New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) The four main Left parties Sunday condemned the hike in petrol prices and demanded a reversal of the policy of de-regulation of petrol pricing.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) said the increase in petrol price by Rs.5 a litre was "another cruel blow".
The decision immediately after the elections "shows that the hike in the price of petrol is politically manipulated", they said in a statement.
"The government refuses to restructure the ad valorem tax structure on import of petro products. If the cess revenues earned by the government due to rise in international prices is returned to oil companies, then there would be no need to hike prices and burden the aam admi," it said.
The statement urged protests to "demand a reversal of the deregulation policy".