BJP assails UPA for hiking petrol prices; demands roll back

Jaipur, Jun 4 (UNI) The BJP today slammed the UPA Government at the Centre for effecting a hike in the prices of petroleum products, saying it would launch an agitation if the increase was not rolled back immediately.

Talking to reporters here, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the UPA had effected the hike, the eighth time during its four-and-a-half-year regime, at a time when the people were badly hurt by soaring prices of essential commodities.

He said the people as well as the political parties like the BJP were expecting some relief for the common man from the government for neutralising the price escalation but the government added to their woes.

Mr Javadekar said the government should have reduced the import duty of commodities and opted for revenue neutralisation.

Demanding immediate rollback of the hike, the BJP leader said his party would launch a nationwide agitation if the raise was not rolled back.

The agitation programme would be decided by the party state units at their level, he added.

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