Criticising the UPA Government as insensitive to the difficulties of common people, because of stiff price rise of essential commodities, the BJD has demanded immediate rollback of diesel price hike and cap on subsidised LPG cylinders effected by the Centre.
The BJD will organise a Statewide agitation on Monday to protest the diesel price hike. BJD vice-president Anang Uday Singhdeo, general secretary Prabhat Tripathy, president of the Biju Mahila Janata Dal Pramila Mallick, president of the Biju Yuva Janata Dal Sanjay Dasburma and president of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal Byomakesh Ray have urged the people to make the agitation a success.
While people of the country are already burdened with high prices of essential commodities, the Centre raised diesel price by ` 5 per litre on September 13 rubbing salt into their wounds, the leaders said and added that the hike will mainly hit the common people. The UPA, which had promised to give the country a budget of ‘aam admi’, has hiked petrol price 12 times after coming to power, they said. The decision to cap subsidised LPG cylinders at six a year per consumer is anti-people, they added.
Demonstrations and protest meetings will be held in front of collectorates of all the district headquarters demanding rollback of the decisions. Senior leaders and MLAs along with party workers will attend the protest meetings.
Describing it as a breakdown of the Centre’s economic policy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had demanded their immediate withdrawal. He said as a cascading effect, prices of essential commodities and food items would go up as transport cost will increase.