New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today joined the growing chorus of political outrage over the latest hike in fuel prices.
Slamming the government over move, the BJP - the main opposition party - threatened to take to the streets to protest against the hike, saying it would force the government for a rollback in prices.
It also rejected the government's argument of the fuel price hike being related to the fall in rupee, saying that it was faulty financial policies of the Centre that was responsible for this move.
"Congress is angry with the common man...that is why the hike", BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
The party also exhorted West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to use her clout in getting the government to reverse its decision.
Ms Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress, incidentally has expressed its unhappiness after petrol prices were increases by Rs. 3.14 a litre yesterday. Senior party leader and cabinet minister Dinesh Trivedi said his party was "very upset" but that "the alliance with the UPA is not in trouble, this is a democratic way of expressing dissent."
Other allies of the Congress, including the DMK and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too have criticised the move.
With the fuel issue still raging, an impending ministerial meeting to consider making cooking gas more expensive for households had to be called off today.