Here's how political leaders reacted to the government's decision to hike the price of diesel by Rs 5 and limit the number of subsidised gas cylinders to six per household per year.
Prakash Karat, CPI-M general secretary:
"Both the decisions of hiking the diesel price and restricting the supply of subsidised cooking to six cylinders per household in a year are going to hit the common people badly."
"CPI-M has already strongly criticised the decision of the Centre. We are going to discuss with other parties as to how to organise a common movement to demand the rollback of the decision," he said.
In a statement, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said government was committing a "gigantic fraud" on the Indian people and the hike will have a cascading inflationary impact imposing greater burdens on the already suffering people.
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'The Centre is betraying the poor'
J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief:
"The Centre is betraying the poor. The diesel price hike will lead to an overall price rise. The Centre should rollback the hike if it is interested in people's welfare. Limiting the subsidised gas cylinders would affect poor and middle class households."
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'I will be most happy to withdraw support from the UPA'
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief:
"We want a rollback. I am shocked. The matter is very serious and sensitive. We can't compromise with the people's issue."
"We will discuss our plan of action in our party meeting. We know the economic crisis we are with the government but enough is enough. I will be most happy to withdraw support (from the UPA). If I withdraw support, then other parties will provide support to them. And, then ask why we left the UPA which led to its collapse. People had misunderstood us when we had withdrawn support earlier."
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'They have demolished the kitchen of a lady'
Sushma Swaraj, Bharatiya Janata Party leader:
"We have a massive loot of national resource like coal on the one hand. The government is now robbing the common man to pay for that loot. Strange are the policies of this government which got elected in the name of the common man. They have demolished the kitchen of a lady who is to manage the house."
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'It hurts the farmers and common man'
Digvijaya Singh, Congress General Secretary:
"We are not in favour of a hike in diesel prices to such an extent because it hurts the farmers and common man. At the same time, there are some unpleasant decisions that have to be taken by the government by taking an overall view of what is best for the country."
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'Government's decision is retrograde and anti-people'
D Raja, CPI National Secretary:
"The government's decision is retrograde and anti-people. It will have an adverse effect on the prices of essential commodities which are already high. It will further increase hardship of common people. Government should not go ahead."
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