Odisha: BJD holds protest against fuel price hike; accused BJP govt of exploiting people

The BJD opposition party staged a protest in Odisha, accusing the BJP government of exploiting people through four rounds of petrol and diesel price hikes.

Opposition BJD Monday hit the streets over four rounds of petrol and diesel price hike and accused the BJP's government of ''exploiting'' people under the ''excuse'' of the West Asia crisis.

The BJD's youth, student and women wing activists staged a demonstration at the Master Canteen Square here and burnt an effigy of the BJP government.

The party's senior vice-president, Debi Prasad Mishra, former minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, and Bhubaneswar district president Ashok Chandra Panda, were among the leaders who took part in the protest.

The leaders alleged that the hike in fuel prices is having a direct impact on the cost of essential commodities, with the middle class, farmers, and labourers being the worst hit.

''When crude oil prices were 60 dollars per barrel, oil companies earned huge profits from the people. Today, citing the war as an excuse, the Central government has increased fuel prices four times within the last 15 days, imposing an unbearable burden on common people,'' Mishra alleged.

BJD leader Pratap Jena said that when the BJP was in the opposition, it used to take to the streets demanding that petrol and diesel be exempted from VAT and brought under GST.

''Today, while being in power, they are not implementing it and are instead repeatedly increasing fuel prices, thereby betraying the common people,'' he alleged.