Thursday, August 25 2005 14:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday (Aug 24, 2005) said that it would strongly oppose any hike in petroleum prices by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)Government without reduction in taxes and duties.

''There is 60 per cent tax on petroleum products. The price is only 40 per cent. The Congress-led Government's policy is to burden the common people,'' BJP National spokesman Prakash Javedekar told a press conference in Kolkata.

He said that instead of passing on the increase to consumers and oil companies, the Government should also cut down taxes and duties.

Told that the previous NDA Government had also hiked prices of petroleum products, the BJP spokesman said that it had also reduced duties.

He said that despite Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's announcement, the Congress-led Government was yet to come out with a hydrocarbon policy even 15 months after assuming power.

Turning to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee's current overseas visit to attract investments for the state, Javedekar said, ''It is late. But it is better late than never.''

The BJP spokesman also charged Marxists with doublespeak saying that while Bhattacharjee was talking of 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in airports, Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) secretary Prakash Karat was opposing it in Delhi.