BJD launches three day state-wide protest over fuel price hike

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD on Friday kicked off its three-day state-wide agitation protesting the spiraling fuel prices.

For the next three days, party members across the state will stage peaceful demonstrations before petrol pumps in their respective areas for two hours from 10 am to 12 noon.

In Bhubaneswar, party activists including members of the youth and students’ wing and Mahila Morcha distributed leaflets and staged peaceful demonstration at all petrol pumps in the city.

Senior members of the BJD including legislators also joined the protest by taking out a rally from the Assembly to the petrol pump near Ram Mandir here.

Earlier in the day, the Odisha Assembly was adjourned till 3 pm following pandemonium created by BJD and Congress members over fuel prices and the ongoing teachers' agitation.

"The BJP-led Central Government had come to power with promises of 'Acche din' but the increasing petrol and diesel rates have over-burdened the common man . We will continue the protest till the prices fall," rued BJD general secretary and former minister Sanjay Das Burma.

"We will intensify the protest if the prices of petroleum products are not brought under control," he added.

"The oil prices in India have skyrocketed. Earlier, when the rate of oil per barrel was 135 dollars in global market, the petrol prices in India was Rs 54 per litre. Now when the global rates have fallen to 78 dollars, why have the rates in India gone up to Rs 80," asked former Law Minister Arun Sahoo.

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Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan termed the protests by BJD as a sign of mental bankruptcy. "BJD is suffering from mental bankruptcy. Odisha gathered the maximum revenue in petroleum products during the period 2014-18," said Pradhan.