BJP holds nationwide protests

BJP activists today held a road blockade here to protest fuel price hike, even as party President Rajnath Singh demanded its immediate rollback.

Protesters shouting slogans against Sonia Gandhi, assembled at Moti Nagar in West Delhi and burnt tyres during an hour-long road blockade organised by the main Opposition party.

In his address, the BJP president also accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of subservience to the Congress chief and called upon the Left to withdraw support from the ruling UPA over fuel price hike.

"Everybody knows that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not working for the country. He is subservient to the Congress president," the BJP leader said, terming the reports about Gandhi's "unhappiness" over the fuel price increase a "stage-managed show".

Also, he vowed that the BJP-led NDA would hold nation-wide protests against the UPA's economic policies, even as he flayed the Centre over its handling of terrorism and internal security issues.

In a scathing assault on the Left, which is also protesting the fuel price increase, the BJP leader accused the CPM of double standards, citing its support to the ruling UPA while opposing the rise in petrol and diesel prices.

"If they are true proponents of the cause of the common man, they should pull support from the ruling UPA. But they are not... which shows their double standards," Singh said.

The token road blockade, one of the 13 held in parts of Delhi by the BJP, disrupted traffic for an hour around the protest scene.

BJP workers also staged demonstrations at all district headquarters in Punjab to protest the price hike. At several places, the protesters burnt the effigy of Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and raised slogans against the UPA government, officials said.

At some places, BJP workers took out processions sitting on bullock-carts, state party spokesman Rajender Bhandari said. In Sangrur, the protesters blocked traffic for a while at Mahavir Chowk.

In Amritsar, BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu took an elephant ride as a mark of protest over the hike, which passed through the main markets of the city.

Sidhu criticised the UPA government, accusing it of "failing on all fronts" and added that the common man, already facing hardships, would have to bear the additional burden with "steep increase" in petro prices.

Protests were also held and rallies taken out at various places in Haryana, including Ambala, Kaithal, Sonepat, Panchkula and Hisar.

In gorakhpur, uttar pradesh bjp chief keshri nath tripathi termed the oil price hike decision "anti-people" and condemned the Left parties for staging a "fake" demonstration against the hike.

"The central government has increased prices of petroleum products five times in last two years. Congress party's anti-people face now stands exposed. The prices of essential commodities are bound to escalate further," he told reporters.

The state bjp chief said that the left partners of the upa were having "double standards".