Wednesday, June 21 2006 18:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: The CPI today (June 21,2006) rebuffed accusations that the Left did not raise the issue of hike in petrol and diesel prices in the recent UPA Coordination Committee meeting, saying a substantive meeting on the subject would be held in July.

"It is not true that we did not raise the question in the June 15 meeting," CPI general secretary A B Bardhan told newsmen here.

"We had given a detailed nine-page note on the oil price hike to the government on June 13 and wanted to have a substantive discussion on the issue. A suitable date has been fixed for the purpose in July," he said.

The agenda of the coordination committee had been fixed earlier which included the Jammu and Kashmir issue, the communal situation and the general price rise, Bardhan said adding nonetheless the hike in oil prices did figure in the meeting.

"But we wanted to have a substantive discussion on the issue," he added.

Bardhan said that the sponsoring committee of trade unions have also called a convention to discuss the issue of oil price hike next month and they might even call for a nationwide general strike or bandh to protest the hike.

The CPI leader said the left was opposed to any hike in oil prices from the beginning.

"It is true that international prices of crude have gone up but we have suggested alternatives to get round the problem," he said.