BJP's bicycle rally against petrol price hike stopped, activists held

Narayanguda police on Wednesday stopped a bicycle rally taken out by Bharatiya Janata Party Activists to protest against the increase in prices of petroleum products and arrested the protestors, except BJP state unit president G Kishen Reddy who was leading them.

Mr Kishen Reddy was not arrested since he had to attend a Public Accounts Committee meeting scheduled to be held at the Assembly later in the evening.

Earlier, Mr Kishen Reddy led his party activists on a protest taken out on a bicycle to highlight the fact that the cost of petroleum fuel has just slipped beyond the grasp of the common man after it was increased by about Rs 3 per litre.

The BJP bicycle protest started off from the party office at Barkatpura and was planned to culminate at the State Assembly, but it was stopped when it reached Narayanguda.

The police said that the reason behind the stopping of the protest was that the party activists were obstructing the flow of traffic.

Speaking to the media persons present at Narayanguda, Mr Kishen Reddy pointed out that the Centre has increased prices of petroleum 19 times since United Progressive Alliance Government assumed charge six years ago.

The BJP state chief demanded the state government to reduce tax on petroleum products so that the hike in the prices due to increased international rates could be offset and the burden on the common man eased.

Mr Kishen Reddy pointed out that no other state in the country is levying 33 per cent tax on petrol.

The BJP leader also demanded that the government immediately revoke the price hike and warned that his party would intensify its agitation across the state if this is not done.