MAKING A POINT: TDP leaders - T. Devender Goud, T. Krishna Reddy and G. Sayanna - protesting against the hike in petro prices in a bullock cart in the city on Tuesday. - PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party led by Deputy Floor Leader T. Devender Goud, MLAs E. Dayakar Rao and G. Sayanna, former MLA T. Srinivas Yadav and Mayor T. Krishna Reddy on Tuesday organised a rally with bullock carts protesting the petroleum price hike.

The rally started from Indira Park -- where party leaders and cadres got onto bullock carts -- and proceeded to RTC crossroads. Squatting on the road and blocking traffic for over half an hour, they addressed the gathering. Later, they burnt an effigy of the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Promises forgotten

Mr. Goud lashed out at the UPA Government at Centre and the Congress regime in the State and said they had forgotten their pre-poll promises. He regretted the travails of the common man who was suffering from Government's "anti-people policies" that led to skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. The agitation would continue until the latest hike was rolled back, the leaders asserted.

The CPI (M) held a similar protest demonstration at RTC crossroads and burnt down an effigy. Members of the BJP led by Himayatnagar MLA G. Kishan Reddy too staged protest at Basheerbagh crossroads.

A group of Bharatiya Jana Shakthi Party members led by N. Venugopal Reddy, State convenor, described the hike as "breaking the back of the common man".

S.L. Padma, general secretary, State Unit of Progressive Students in a press release demanded a rollback.

CPI procession

In response to a call given by the Communist Party of India, the party's city council organised protest demonstration and burnt effigies demanding a rollback of the hike. The CPI leaders and workers took out a procession from AITUC office, Himayathnagar and party State Executive Committee member V.Ram Narasimha Rao decried what he described as an unilateral and anti-people measure.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail