Crying foul over the Centre’s decision to resort to a steep hike in price of diesel and restrict the supply of LPG cylinders to six in a year to each family, the main Opposition Telugu Desam and other parties took out protest rallies across the State.
In Hyderabad, Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu led a protest march carrying a LPG cylinder on his shoulders for about a kilometre from the KBR Park near the party office to Jubilee Hills check post on Friday evening. He also pulled a vehicle with a rope in a symbolic protest against the diesel price hike.
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Mr. Naidu warned that the struggle would be intensified if the Centre fails to rollback the hike in prices of diesel and to withdraw the decision on fixing quota on supply of gas cylinders to each family.
He recalled that fuel prices were increased as many as 27 times during the last eight years of Congress-led UPA rule at Centre.
The diesel price hike meant a burden of Rs. 1,500 crore on farming sector, Rs. 700 crore on industry and Rs.400 crore on APSRTC.
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Protests planned
The YSR Congress leadership decided to launch an agitation demanding rollback of diesel prices.
The party directed its cadres to launch protests in all Assembly constituencies, mandal and district headquarters.
The party said the hike would severely affect the poor and the middle classes.
In a statement, YSRC honorary president Y. S. Vijayamma said the decisions would cast a heavy burden on the common man. At a press conference here on Friday, Central Governing Council member D. A. Somayajulu said increase in diesel prices would adversely impact the already ailing Indian economy.
Criticising the Centre for its decisions, the Lok Satta appealed to the State government to reduce the taxes on petroleum products and provide relief to the common man.
Terming the cap on LPG cylinder ‘harsh’, the party’s general secretary, K. Srinivasa Rao wanted it to be raised to at least eight cylinders.