BJD-BJP stages demonstration to protest fuel price hike

Bhubaneswar, Jun 19 (UNI) Condemning the steep hike in the prices of petrol and diesel by the UPA government, the ruling BJD-BJP today staged protest demonstrations in all district headquarters of Orissa.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans against the UPA government,the BJD and BJP supporters today sat on dharna before the district collectorates and some important towns demanding immediate roll back of the enhanced prices of petrol and diesel.

In the state capital, the demonstration was organised in front of the Raj Bhawan led by BJD Parliament Member Braja Kishore Tripathy, party Secretary General Dr Damodar Rout and BJP member of Parliament Dharamendra Pradhan.

Later a delegation of BJD-BJP submitted a memorandum to Governor Rameswar Thakur urging President A P J Abdul Kalam to immediately intervene into the repeated hike of prices of petrol and diesel by the UPA government and direct the Centre to withdraw the recent price hike for the benefit of the common man.

The memorandum said the UPA government has during the last two years hiked the prices of petrol and diesel at least seven times pushing the middle class and poor class of people to lead a misearble life.

The memorandum stated that the situation had come to such a stage that purchasing essential commodities have become a costly affair. Several small scale industries have already closed down following growth of inflation and the rise in cost of transportation triggered by the rise in prices of petroleum products.

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