CPI-M warns against raising cooking gas prices

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Opposing suggestions to decontrol petrol and diesel prices, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat called them 'anti-people' measures.

He also slammed recommendations to hike the price of cooking gas cylinders by Rs.100.

"Such a step will have a cascading impact on raising prices of essential commodities which are already at an all time high and will lead to a further burden on the people," he said.

Karat said that it was 'most shocking' that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "not seriously addressing the problem of rising prices" and was blaming it all on state governments.

Pointing out that food inflation in India, now at nearly 18 percent, was the highest in the world, the CPI-M leader said: "We feel the primary reason for the failure of check price rise primarily rests on the centre.

A major reason for price rise is the severe weakening of the public distribution system."

He demanded restoration of the allocations at least at the Above Poverty Line (APL) prices and attacked the UPA government for refusing to maintain a buffer stock of sugar when there was high sugarcane production. He also sought a ban on futures trading in essentials.

Briefing the media after a three-day meeting of the central committee here, Karat said: "The government should bring a food security legislation which ensures a universal right to food, with a 35 kg family allocation of foodgrains at Rs.2 a kilo."

The party also demanded that more essential commodities at subsidised prices should be included in the Public Distribution System (PDS) through central government subsidies.