Oppn slams govt for petrol hike, BJP demands rollback

The Opposition on Thursday slammed the government for the increase in petrol prices with BJP demanding a rollback and Left parties terming the Congress-led UPA as callous.

The Opposition on Thursday slammed the government for the increase in petrol prices with BJP demanding a rollback and Left parties terming the Congress-led UPA as callous.

"BJP condemns this hike in petrol prices by Rs 3 per litre. We demand a rollback as this measure is against the common man. The UPA allies of Congress should also oppose this hike," party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

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"The repeated increase in petrol prices including the latest today, shows how callous the UPA government has become. The current inflation rate has nearly touched double digit. At such a time this hike will only add to the burdens of the people," CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said.

"The deregulation of petrol prices is already having a cascading effect while the UPA government has been consistently refusing to rationalise the tax structure on petroleum prices," he said.

The Congress, however, termed the hike as "inevitable".

"It is obviously something, which we all have to bear with a heavy heart but it appears that it is inevitable," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the hike will affect the common man in the sense.

"This is the second time that a hike is being effected in a small space of time," he said.

The BJP alleged that while the attention of the masses is focused on the slew of corruption cases and scams being unearthed, the government has used this opportunity to hike petrol prices "on the sly".

NDA ally JD-U threatened to take the battle against petrol price hike to the streets.

"Since Parliament is not in session, we will oppose the government's decision to hike petrol prices in the streets," party general secretary Javed Raja said.