Naidu holds protest against diesel price hike

Protesting against the increase in diesel prices and restricting the supply of subsidised LPG to six cylinders per family in a year, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday staged a rally from KBR Gardens to Check Post at Jubilee Hills.

Addressing the rally at Check Post, Chandrababu Naidu condemned the Centre for imposing fuel hike to benefit the oil marketing companies by burdening the common man. Stating that restricting the supply of LPG to six cylinders per family in a year would adversely affect the families, he demanded that the government to immediately withdraw its move. Charging that the Centre has hiked fuel cost by Rs 350 per cylinder (including all external costs), the TDP president said that he would give Rs 100 subsidy on LPG if the TDP comes to power in the ensuing elections and also reduce prices of essential commodities within 100 days.

Naidu said that fuel would put additional burden of Rs 700 crores on industries, Rs 400 crores on RTC and Rs 1500 crores on farmers.

The TDP chief said that he has been invited by the CPI leaders AB Bardhan and Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy to New Delhi to prepare ground for a nationwide agitation on fuel cost hikes. He said the Congress-led UPA had broken the back of the common man by hiking fuel costs 25 times in the last six years leading to stagnation of development activities and also adversely hindering his purchasing capacity.