Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 15 : Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and Central Executive Committee (CEC) member K Narayana on Friday criticised the continuous rise in fuel prices, alleging that increasing taxes and "dynamic pricing" systems in transport were placing an additional burden on common citizens.
Narayana said the rise in global crude oil prices was linked to growing international tensions and war-driven policies.
"The continuous rise in fuel prices is severely affecting common people across the country. One of the major reasons behind the present global oil price instability is the aggressive war-driven policies pursued by Donald Trump and the growing international tensions encouraged by imperialist interests. Whenever global conflicts increase, crude oil prices rise, and ultimately the burden falls on ordinary citizens," he said.
He further accused both the Central and State governments of increasing the burden through cess, taxes and additional charges on petroleum products.
"In India, both the Central and State governments are further increasing the burden through cess, taxes, and various additional charges on petroleum products. As a result, transportation costs are sharply increasing, directly impacting railway fares, flight ticket prices, goods transport and essential commodities," he said.
Criticising the "dynamic pricing" system in railways and airlines, Narayana termed it exploitative and alleged that it disproportionately affected middle-class and poor passengers.
"The so-called 'dynamic pricing' system in railways and airlines has become another form of exploitation. Under this system, ticket prices automatically increase depending on demand, availability and timing of booking. This policy is hitting middle-class and poor passengers very badly.
Citing an example, he added, "An ordinary railway ticket from Hyderabad to Tirupati costing a few hundred rupees has reportedly shot up to nearly Rs 8,000. This is nothing but organised looting in the name of market pricing."
The CPI leader condemned these anti-people policies and urged the Central Government to review fuel taxation policies and abolish what he termed exploitative dynamic pricing systems.
"The CPI strongly condemns these anti-people policies. Public transport services like railways should serve the people, not function purely for profit-making. The Central Government must immediately review fuel taxation and abolish exploitative dynamic pricing systems that burden common citizens," Narayana said.
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