Demanding a roll back of the hike in cooking gas price, that was increased by Rs 20 per cylinder yesterday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday said the Centre's decision not to touch import duties on petroleum products will lead to an "anomalous" situation, increasing the burden of the people.

Broadly welcoming the United Progressive Alliance government's decision not to increase the price of kerosene, the CPI (M) politburo has asked it to not only "reconsider" the LPG price hike but also make the pricing mechanism transparent.

• Petrol dearer by Rs 2; LPG to cost Rs 20 more

"The government has not dealt with the import duty structure. The 10 per cent import duty on crude oil and 20 per cent notional import duty on petroleum products have brought about an anomalous situation which increases the burden on the people," it said.

Noting that the increase of Rs 1 per litre on diesel and a 16.7 per cent rise in coal price would have a "cascading" effect on the economy, it said, "The government will have to take steps to meet such a situation."

CPI(M), along with other Left parties like Communist Party of India, Forward Block and Revolutionary Socialist Party, which have extended outside support to the UPA government asked the Centre to rationalise the existing duty structure so that the burden of the hike in prices on the common people could be lessened.

The party said the UPA government's decision to increase the price of petrol, diesel and LPG had come in the background of the "deliberate" decision of the previous NDA government not to hike the prices during elections despite a sharp surge in international oil prices.