Petrol price hike: TDP, Left & BJP stage protests

Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh including Telugu Desam, CPM and CPI and BJP staged protests in Vijayawada city and Krishna district against the government's decision on petrol price hike. The TDP, BJP and CPM leaders in the city staged 'rasta roko' at different places and demanded to roll back the hike. They questioned why the Union government was not willing to cut excise and customs duties on crude oil instead of raising the price. Even the state government was not willing to cut its sales tax on petroleum price to relieve the common man from the hike, they said.

The leaders expressed fear that the government may also hike diesel and LPG prices within a few days. The petrol price hike will definitely have an impact on the bypolls in the state and the people will teach a lesson to Congress in the bypolls, to be held for 18 Assembly and one Lok Sabha seat on June 12, the protesting leaders said. Meanwhile, police arrested workers of all political parties who staged 'rasta roko'. On the other hand, some local Congress leaders, on conditions of anonymity, expressed shock over the petrol price hike and said the voters would definitely go against the party during the forthcoming byelections.