Patnaik slams petrol price hike

Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik today slammed the central government for the latest petrol price hike, saying the move will further add to the plight of the poor.

Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik Friday slammed the central government for the latest petrol price hike, saying the move will further add to the plight of the poor.

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Accusing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of "callous acts", Patnaik said people would "never tolerate such anti-poor policy".

"The Congress led UPA sarkar which is always talking about the aaam admi is truly doing things which are callous and shocking," Patnaik told reporters.

Meanwhile, his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged protests and demonstrations separately across the state over the hike.

In Bhubaneswar, the youth wing of the BJD carried out a motorcycle rally and staged a demonstration near the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of state governor M.C. Bhandare.

Petrol prices were increased by 1.80 by oil marketing companies from Friday.