The leftists raised their concerns at a meeting to discuss the government's first budget, due to be presented July 8, chaired by the ruling Congress party's president Sonia Gandhi.

"We were invited to exchange views on the budget. All that we have said is the budget should conform with the CMP," Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan said after the 90-minute meeting.

The CMP, or Common Minimum Programme, was the policy paper drafted by the coalition after its upset victory in April-May elections over the Hindu nationalist government.

The platform promised reforms with a "human face" and ruled out sell-offs of profitable state firms.

Asked if he had sought to bring down fuel prices, Bardhan said: "I have raised that issue."

The government, citing high world oil prices, Tuesday hiked the price of cooking gas by 20 rupees (44 cents) a cylinder, a two-rupee rise for a litre of petrol and one rupee more for a litre of diesel.

However, in a market-friendly move, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said in London that the government would consider raising limits on foreign investment and setting up special economic zones.

"I am looking at higher caps," Nath told the Financial Times.

Foreign investment in most sectors is capped at 74 percent without special government clearance but Nath said the changes would be restricted to job-creating areas such as infrastructure and the auto sector.