New Delhi: Several opposition parties on Tuesday slammed the government for raising fuel prices and walked out of the Lok Sabha in protest. Soon after the Question Hour ended, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it had been anticipated that prices will be hiked again after the end of elections in five states. “The way petrol and diesel prices are rising is hurting the common man. We were apprehensive that a price rise will happen after the polls, that is what is happening,” he said. DMK’s T R Baalu said the price rise was “not right” while Sudip Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool Congress asked the government to roll back the prices. MPs from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Nationalist Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, National Conference, CPI-M, CPI, IUML, RSP, MDMK and VCK also raised slogans against the government and inflation. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said high taxes imposed by the government were a major component in prices of commodities and that the government could provide relief to the common man if it wanted. “The government is trying to hide behind rising international crude prices, but that is not the true story. Taxes constitute a major part of the prices of commodities,” Tharoor told UNI after the walkout from the Lok Sabha. The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha as well and the Upper House was adjourned due to opposition protests. Petrol and diesel prices were increased by Rs 0.80. Price of gas cylinders has gone up by Rs 50. UNI AO MR
