Left: Withdraw hike or face hurdle in passing Finance Bill

Days after it supported the government wholeheartedly on the Womens Reservation Bill,the Left parties on Friday signalled that it would create hurdles for the passage of the Union Budget and the Finance Bill....

Days after it supported the government wholeheartedly on the Womens Reservation Bill,the Left parties on Friday signalled that it would create hurdles for the passage of the Union Budget and the Finance Bill if the UPA did not roll back the hike in excise and customs duties on petroleum products.

Left leaders said they were in touch with all the secular Opposition parties to forge a common stand on the issue. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said if the hike is not withdrawn,the Opposition would use all its might against the government when the Union Budget comes up for voting in the Lok Sabha.

With Assembly polls nearing in West Bengal and Kerala,the Left was determined to keep the issue of price rise alive and were back at what they do best organising street agitations to take on the government. Addressing a rally,Karat said the Centre has failed to check rising prices and was shamelessly putting the blame on states. Significantly,West Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Bose and state-level leaders of RSP and the Forward Bloc were present at the rally.

That its focus is primarily on the Assembly polls in Bengal became clear when Karat spoke about Trinamool Congresss association with Maoists at the anti-price rise rally. I want to ask the Prime Minister that on the one hand you say that Maoists are the gravest threat to the countrys internal security and on the other those supporting these Maoists are in your Cabinet. What are you going to do? Karat asked.