Fuel hike: BJP, Left to spearhead countrywide protests

New Delhi, June 6 (UNI) The country's left and right forces launched a double-barreled attack on the UPA government's decision to hike fuel prices with the communist-sponsored nationwide agitation commencing today and the BJP announcing a stir against the Centre's ''latest betrayal of the common man''.

The ruling coalition ally, Left parties, began a week-long countrywide agitation in protest against the ''unjustified'' rise in the prices of petrol and diesel, with their activists taking to the streets.

The main opposition BJP, demanding an immediate rollback, also called for a nationwide protest tomorrow and urged its NDA partners to join the party's ''Rasta Roko agitation'' on June seven.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the Congress, which is heading the ruling coalition, came out openly against a decision of the government and expressed its opposition to the price hike. ''The Congress is against the increase effected yesterday,'' a top party leader told UNI.

Thousands of protestors including women and students held demonstrations, street meetings and dharnas in the national capital, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Amritsar and several places in Kolkata, Left leaders told UNI.

The ''spontaneous'' agitation against the increase in the prices of petrol by Rs 4 and diesel by Rs two per litre, will culminate in a National Protest Day on June 13, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M K Pandhe said.

''We are contacting non-Congress and non-BJP parties to join the country-wide protest day,'' they said, adding that the protests were also against the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities which were going beyond the reach of the middle classes.

Addressing the protestors who wore red caps, carried red flags, banners and placards, the Left leaders deplored that the government had gone ahead with its decision to ''impose the back-breaking burden on the people'', ignoring the five suggestions put forward by the Left to cope up with the increase in international prices of oil.

The national capital witnessed a wave of protests with political parties as well as traders describing the increase as an ''extra financial burden'' on the people.

The Left parties held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

MORE UNI TEAM RR RP PC1809