Accusing BJP of betraying people's trust, the former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president said the increase in rail fare and freight rates would have a cascading effect and drive the economy into an inflationary spiral.
Besides severe inflationary pressure because of rise in prices of onion and potatoes, there was serious apprehension of a further rise in prices of petrol and diesel because of the fluid situation in the entire middle east and particularly Iraq, Patnaik said in a statement.
In the past, all such economic decisions by the UPA government was termed as "anti-people" and now they have become "necessities for a stronger economy", he said adding people have been cheated by the government.