Lalu defends govt on price hike

UNION RAILWAY Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said that Union government hiked the price of petrol and diesel under pressure of developed countries and also to overcome the huge losses. In an informal interaction with media persons at Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station this afternoon, Lalu Prasad said that the Union government was left with no option, but to increase prices of petrol and diesel to overcome the loss.

Published on: Jun 9, 2006, 24:01:00 IST

None | By HT Correspondent, Varanasi

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UNION RAILWAY Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said that Union government hiked the price of petrol and diesel under pressure of developed countries and also to overcome the huge losses.

In an informal interaction with media persons at Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station this afternoon, Lalu Prasad said that the Union government was left with no option, but to increase prices of petrol and diesel to overcome the loss.

The Union Railway Minister was on way from Chapra to New Delhi and interacted with media persons during a brief stay at Cantonment railway station.

He said that recent price hike in petroleum products would also affect his ministry by losing Rs 400 crore. “But we have set a target of Rs 20,000 crore profit in the current fiscal year and the loss of Rs 400 crore would not affect Railways much,” he added.

He said that an all-party meeting of allies partners of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and other Opposition parties would soon be conveyed to discuss ways how to check hike of essential commodities in the wake of recent price rise in petroleum products. He said that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has given a slogan ‘Mulayam Hatao Desh Bachao’ for Uttar Pradesh.

He said that RJD would contest the forthcoming Assembly elections of UP with like-minded parties to safeguard the interest of common people.

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