The Samajwadi Party on Friday said it would talk to its UNPA allies and the Left to formalise a strategy to confront the Congress-led UPA Government about the hike in fuel prices."The UNPA leaders will meet in the first week of July to discuss the strategy to counter the Government on the issue," said SP general secretary and UNPA spokesperson Amar Singh, adding that SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat have already discussed the issue once. Calling the hike "anti-people", he said it would result in the skyrocketing of prices and affect vulnerable sections of the population while benefiting big corporates. “Large private companies and refineries will earn windfall profits after this. The Government has no provision to tax them while it continues to burden the common man,” said Singh, suggesting a policy to tax these windfall profits. He also said that the Government should think of stern austerity measures along with other policy options to reduce the disproportionate burden on common people. Although Singh conceded that the Congress was justified in demanding a reduction in sales tax to contain the impact of the rise in petrol and diesel prices, he fell short of demanding the same thing of the Mayawati-led UP Government.
