UPA administered its fourth petrol shock on common man: BJP

NEW DELHI, Jun 20 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party today said that the UPA had administered another shock on the common man by increasing the prices of petrol and diesel for the fourth time after it came to office.

Commenting on the price hike approved by the Union Cabinet, BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the prices will fuel inflation and have cascading effect on the prices of essential and unessential products.

He said ever since the UPA came to power, it had increased prices by Rs 10.20 per litre on petrol and Rs 7.25 on diesel in just one year's time.

He said the Centre had an option of rationalising the whopping taxes, amounting to 55 per cent of the prices of petrol and diesel instead of taking refuge under the hike in international crude prices.

"The UPA has chosen to pass on the increase without making any effort to rationalise and reduce the burden on common man," he said, adding that the BJP strongly opposed this hike.