Cong asks govt to find a way out amid demands for a rollback

New Delhi, Sept 16 (PTI) Amid demands for a rollback of
the fuel price hike, a concerned Congress party Friday asked
the Indian Government to find a way out so as to ameliorate
the common man's lot.
"The party is deeply concerned. A way out should be found
and we are sure the government will do it", party spokesman
Rashid Alvi told reporters in reply to a volley of questions
on the issue.
Alvi said the fuel price hike was "ïnevitable" as it has
been carried out by the oil companies on the principle of 'no
profit, no loss'.
"It was inevitable when the value of the Rupee has been
depreciated.......We have to appreciate that the price of
crude oil is going up in the international market. It was a
mere 23 dollars per barrel in 2003 and now it is ruling around
110 dollars", he said.
Alvi was grilled at the briefing as reporters were not
satisfied with his replies including one holding the state
governments "equally responsible" for failure to control
rising prices.
He disagreed with a questioner when he said that all
steps taken by the government further fuel price hike.
His contention that governments run by the opposition
parties should bring down the VAT on fuel as done by the Delhi
government evoked questions as to what was the Value Added Tax
on it in Congress-ruled Maharashtra.
Alvi did not answer the question but said VAT was higher
in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand, all non-Congress states.
When told that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies
Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) have
demanded a rollback of the fuel price hike, he said the issue
involved the government as they are part of the coalition.