'Damn lie' that Left parties were consulted: Dasgupta

Demanding immediate withdrawal of the hike in petrol and diesel prices, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta on Thursday said it was a "damn lie" that the Left parties were consulted on the matter.

"It is a damn lie to suggest that left parties were consulted before the unprecedented fuel price hike. Even if we had been consulted we would not have given consent as already the prices of essential commodities are high," Dasgupta, a senior trade union leader and MP, told PTI in Kolkata.

"We will oppose it both inside and outside the Parliament. We want immediate withdrawal of the hike," he said. He said it would also increase the cost of agricultural products and lead to further all-round inflation.

"Petroleum ministry is overstating the dimension of the burden of international prices on domestic oil companies. It is much less than what Mr Murli Deora (Petroleum minister) has said," the CPI leader said.

He said the government should have lowered tax on petroleum products and the shortfall in revenue should have been taken care of by increasing the tax on the rich and super-rich.