The Left parties will begin a fortnight-long agitation against rising fuel, essential commodities, and medicine prices on Wednesday. The protest will end on June 30, and the parties will demand that the Centre reverse the increase in the price of gasoline and diesel, as well as control the prices of other essential items.
On Sunday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation released a joint statement.
“More assaults on people’s livelihood are being mounted by this relentless rise in prices of all essential commodities. Instead of helping people to combat the ravages of the Covid health catastrophe, the Narendra Modi government hiked the prices of petroleum products by at least 21 times after the announcement of the results of the recent assembly elections on May 2, 2021,” the parties said in the statement.
According to them, this is causing a cascading inflationary spiral, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) reaching an eleven-year high.
The Left parties also demanded that the central government provide direct cash transfers of $7,500 per month for a period of six months to all families who do not pay income taxes.
The protests will be held in accordance with the government’s Covid-19 guidelines, according to the parties.
Petrol and diesel prices have risen dramatically in recent weeks across India, with both fuels reaching new highs in some cities. Rates have risen across the country, but they differ from state to state depending on the amount of inflation.
The WPI inflation rate hit a new high of 12.94% in May, thanks to rising fuel prices. This is the fifth month in a row that WPI-based inflation has increased. It reached double digits in April 2021, at 10.49 percent.
In May, inflation in the fuel and power basket reached 37.61 percent, up from 20.94 percent in April. Prices of crude petroleum and other fuels plummeted in May of last year as a result of global lockdowns that reduced demand.
