Normal life in West Bengal gets affected for the second consecutive day on Friday due to bandh called in protest of Central government’s fuel price hike. The strike was called by opposition Trinamool Congress and its ally the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).
Earlier Left front including parties CPI (M), CPI and Forward Block had called for a 12-hour-long bandh on Thursday to register their protest in three Left-ruled states and that was observed peacefully. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other opposition parties also showed their demonstration in other states.
The Friday West Bengal shutdown is so far observed in West Bengal and Tripura. Reportedly markets, business establishments, schools and colleges remained closed while trains and flight schedule went to halt.
In Kolkata, passengers had a tough time waiting for trains and flight as the bandh crippled normal life affecting rail road service. Trinamool Congress party workers staged demonstration in protest against oil price hike.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on Wednesday increased the prices of petrol by Rs 5 a litre, diesel by Rs 3 per litre and cooking gas by Rs.50 per cylinder which hit normal people the most.
In a bid to contain the impact of price rise, individual state governments are now trying to decrease sales tax as there is much disparities from state to state in petro products tax structure.
The government has bluntly expressed its helplessness while rising prices of petro products, as Indian oil firms were under huge loss by selling fuel at a largely discounted price with government fixed rates.
The ruling coalition is of the fear that the raising fuel price may draw out voters against its decision in the upcoming general election. This is of the reason that Congress ruling states are doing their best in reducing the fuel price.
Delhiites to pay lesser for LPG
The Sheila Dikshit government in the capital has decided to put only a hike of Rs 10 per LPG cylinder, despite the average national price hike of Rs 50 announced by the Centre. In that sense, the state now has to bear the additional cost by offering larger amount of subsidy.
The chief minister has also announced that there will be no fare hike in state run DTC buses and Metro trains which run on CNG and electricity respectively.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had on Thursday asked the party chief ministers across the country to cut sales tax on petroleum products and also to cut down normal expenditure in austerity measures.
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