The rise of Rs 5 per litre in price of petrol, Rs 3 of diesel and Rs 50 of each domestic cooking gas cylinder would result in inflation, Shiromani Akali Dal Chief and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told a press conference here.
Badal said that the poor were already hit by the rising prices and now the middle class would also feel the pinch. "It had become difficult for the poor families to survive and now even the middle class would be hit by the increasing inflation which will follow the petro price hike," he added.
He avoided giving an answer to a question on reducing price of petrol in the state due to increased local taxes as compared with Chandigarh and Haryana where petrol was cheaper by around Rs 4 per litre.
The Shiromani Akali Dal would soon launch a protest against the hike in the price of petrol, diesel and LPG saying the details would be announced after the party finalised it.