AIADMK stages demo across TN against fuel price hike

Chennai, Jun 9 (UNI) The Opposition AIADMK today staged protest demonstrations throughout Tamil Nadu, against the hike in fuel prices and demanding its immediate roll-back.

As directed by party Supremo J Jayalalithaa, who is on a sojourn to Kodanadu hill station, thousands of party volunteers organised demonstrations in front of central and state government offices across the state.

In the city, the demonstration was led by party Presidium chairman and former Minister E Madhusoodanan in front of Chepauk Guest house, where partymen carried empty gas cylinders on their heads and women volunteers cooked food on the road, using firewood.

Elsewere in the state, party volunteers expressed their protests in novel ways by carrying firewoods earthen stoves and travelling in bullock carts.

Ms Jayalalithaa had flayed the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for hiking the prices of petroleum products for the eighth time after it came to power in 2004, and the DMK government not opposing the hike, while being a constituent of the government at the Centre.

She demanded the immediate roll-back of the hike, stating that the rise of petrol price by Rs five, diesel by Rs three and cooking gas by Rs 50 affected all sections of society.

Ms Jayalalithaa had said the two per cent cut on Sales Tax announced by the DMK government was only an 'eyewash' and demanded that the government suspend its freebies and bear the rise, without passing it on to the people.

In Tiruchirapalli, AIADMK volunteers staged a demonstration in front of the Railway junction.

The demonstrators urged the Union Government to immediately withdraw the fuel price hike.

Similar demonstrations were held in front of the taluk office at Musiri and in Karur, Pudukkottai, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts, a report from Tiruchirapalli said.

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