BJP to launch nationwide protest condemning fuel price hike

Chennai, June 6 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch a nationwide protest from tomorrow against the steep hike in prices of petrol and diesel and demand its immediate withdrawal, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said today.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the party would organise a demonstration in Delhi tomorrow, followed by Rail and Road roko agitations for two hours across the country.

The hike, which would have a cascading effect and lead to increase in prices of essential commodities, was a betrayal by the UPA Government at the Centre, he said and flayed the Congress and the left parties for trying to hoodwink the people on the issue.

The unprecedented hike, sixth since the UPA came to power in May 2004, would hit the common man, he said, adding the hike was also against the Common Minimum Programme(CMP) drawn by the UPA for governance.

It was ironical that the Congress, which had suggested restructuring of taxes on petroleum products to avoid price hike, when it was in the opposition, chose to hike the prices when it came to power, he said.

He also ridiculed the Congress for condemning the price hike and demanding its withdrawal, while being in power. ''I am surprised over the reaction of the Congress. It is nothing but political one upmanship,'' he charged.

Hitting out at the left parties, he said the Communist parties were duping the people, ''making only noise without voice''. They were trying to hoodwink the people by organising agitations ''Why should the left parties come to the streets, instead of telling Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the hike is not acceptable,'' he asked.

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