Left, VCK to protest fuel price hike from June 28 to 30

In a joint statement, leaders of CPM, CPI, CPI (ML) Liberation and VCK said that the protest movement would be held following COVID-19 and lockdown norms.

“Instead of helping the people who have been severely affected by the COVID pandemic, the Modi government has been consistently raising the prices of petroleum products. In the last 40 days alone, prices have risen 21 times. Thus, the price of a litre of petrol crossed Rs 100 while the diesel price per litre is going to touch Rs 100. The prices of all essential commodities have risen to levels not seen in the last 10 years. Thus the poor and the middle class are subjected to untold misery,” it said in the statement signed by K Balakrishnan (CPM), R Mutharasan (CPI), Thol Thirumavalavan (VCK) and NK Natarajan (CPI (ML) Liberation).

“All industries have been affected and job losses and income shortages have increased. The purchasing power of the people is declining and the urban and rural population are being pushed into poverty,” they said, adding that life-saving drugs are hoarded and sold on the black market.

“The Modi government is remaining as a mute spectator rather than taking steps to prevent it,” it added.

In this context, the leaders urged the Union government to control the rise in prices of petrol, diesel and essential commodities and to prevent the sale of life-saving drugs on the black market, Rs 7,500 relief to all families not coming under the income tax purview for six months and 10 kg food grains through central quota.

“The Left parties have called for a nationwide protest movement in this regard. In Tamil Nadu, we also seek availability of free vaccines for all and to permit the state government to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines through Hindustan Biotech facility at Chengalpattu,” it said.