New Delhi : The BJP Friday demanded rollback of the Rs.5 a litre hike in diesel prices and the cap of six cylinders on supply of subsidised cooking gas to a family a year, while asking allies of the Congress to actively fight the government decision and not shed mere “crocodile tears”.
In a statement, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu said the decisions should be rolled back in the interest of farmers and lower and middle class citizens of the country.
“The steep price hike in diesel and LPG prices is an anti-farmer and anti-common man decision. The increase in the diesel prices will have an adverse effect on the agricultural sector which is already in crisis,” he said.
Referring to opposition of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituent Trinamool Congress and outside supporter Samajwadi Party to the decisions, Naidu said it was an acid test for them to show that their concern was more than mere lip sympathy.
“It is an acid test for the UPA allies to show whether they stand with the people and demand and get rollback of the prices or blindly support the government for the sake of power. Mere lip sympathy and shedding crocodile tears will not suffice,” he said.
Naidu said that lakhs of farmers depend upon diesel pump sets for pumping water to their fields due to power shortages and diesel hike will become a burden on the farming community.
“The decision will have a cascading effect and add to the inflation. The prices of essential goods will go up along with hikes in transport costs and travel fares, thereby hitting the common man also very badly,” he said.
Naidu said the decision to restrict the supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per family in a year was a direct assault on the middle classes.
He said each ordinary family requires one cylinder a month on an average and likely cost of Rs.746 for each cylinder beyond six was unprecedented and “a cruel joke”.
“It is like rubbing salt on the wounds as people are already reeling under high inflation,” he said.
He said the Congress slogan “Congress ke haath aam aadmi ke saath (Congress hand with the common man)” should be changed to “‘Congress ke haath, aam aadmi ke saath viswasghath (Hand of Congress, betrayal of the common man)”.
Naidu said his party will launch nation-wide protests against the central government’s “anti-people actions”.