Nominal cut in fuel prices won’t bring relief: Left

CPI(M), CPI say Govt was forced to cut prices because of bypoll results

Left parties have called the on fuel, announced on Diwali eve, as too little, too late and that it was the adverse bypoll results that forced the Government’s hand.

The Central excise duty on petrol was cut by ₹5 a litre and ₹10 a litre on diesel. Many BJP-ruled States followed the announcement with a cut in the State excise duty. Even then, in major cities.

CPI general secretary D. Raja said the decrease was nominal, especially since it came amid almost . “People have been going through hardships because of the cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities because of the exorbitant fuel prices,” he noted. It was not a coincidence that the cut in Central excise duty came after the bypoll results. “If the poll results were favourable for the BJP, would they have really cut the excise duty,” he asked.