Vijayawada: CPM takes up novel protest against diesel price hike

Vijayawada: The CPM assailed the Central government for enhancing the diesel and petrol prices at a time people are hard hit by the pandemic.

The CPM leaders protested in a novel way by presenting their protest on the road here on Monday.

Ch Babu Rao, CPM State executive member, said that instead of helping people with Rs 50,000 crore in the name of Coronavirus package, the Centre had burdened people with Rs 2 lakh crore by enhancing the prices of diesel and petrol.

He recalled that in a short span of eight days, the prices of diesel and petrol were hiked every day.

The actual price of petrol is only Rs 16 but taxes imposed by the State and the Centre are Rs 60 which is unprecedented anywhere in the world, he pointed out.

The price rise on petrol, diesel and cooking gas is against people, he said and ridiculed the government for hiking prices and at the same time warning the traders not to raise prices of commodities.

The transport sector which was already in doldrums would never recover with the price hike, he said.

Babu Rao appealed to people to participate in large numbers in the protest demonstration on Tuesday against the anti-people policies of the State and the Central governments.