Left against petrol, diesel price hike

New Delhi: The Left Front representatives of the UPA had a meeting with the finance minister, P Chidambaram, and the petroleum minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, here on Monday and stuck to their stand that the government should look at duty restructuring instead of pinching the consumers by increasing petroleum product prices.

Fuel prices were last revised in November 2004 and since then the government has not allowed the oil firms to raise prices despite international crude touching new highs.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Aiyar said, "The finance ministry and the petroleum ministry have taken note of their concerns and would carefully examine them."

CPI leader D Raja said, "We have asked the government not to increase prices but consider other options."

Dipankar Mukherjee of the CPI (M) said that the government should put in abeyance the increase in road cess and roll back hike in excise duties on petrol and diesel.