Left protests tax hike on petrol, diesel

Taking strong exception to increase in tax rate on petrol and diesel, hundreds of CPI ( M) activists today took to streets and held demonstrations at Partap Park in Srinagar and Kulgam and Anantnag townships against the government decision. The protesters demanded immediate roll back of the hike.

Om Prakash Sharma and Abdul Rashid Itoo senior CPI( M) leaders while addressing the rally at Pratap Park here said the increase in tax rate would hit the common man, who is already reeling under high inflation.

“ The tax increase,” they said, “ shows that the state government is least concerned about the welfare of people.” While addressing the party workers who were protesting in Anantnag township, Ghulam Nabi Malik and Ghulam Ahmad Ganie, senior CPI ( M) leaders termed the hike as arbitrary and unacceptable. The leaders demanded the state government should immediately rollback the hike.

They remarked that the steep increase in petrol and diesel prices was bound to burden the people who they said were already suffering from rising prices of all other essential commodities.

Muhammad Amin Dar and Muhammad Afzal Parry while addressing rally in Kulgam township observed that the hike would fuel price rise of essential commodities, which would further burden the ordinary people in the state.

The increase will affect transportation costs and will have a cascading affect on inflation, they added.

The CPI ( M) leaders said the party with other democratic parties will continue its struggle against such “ anti- people measures and will not allow the people’s voice to go unheard.”