NO TO HIKE: Activists of the TDP and Left parties staging a `rail roko' at the Ongole station on Tuesday.

ONGOLE: Activists of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) jointly staged a `rail roko' here on Tuesday asking the Central Government to rollback the prices of petrol and diesel. The activists took out processions separately from their respective party offices holding placards and raising slogans and converged at the railway station here. While the activists of the Left parties arrived early and held up the Chennai-bound Navjeevan Express, the TDP activists arrived later and detained the Howrah-Tirupati Express. Two goods trains were also held up for an hour at Ongole due to the agitation.

The TDP activists vent their ire against Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and raised slogans against him. The TDP leaders also burnt the effigies of the Chief Minister and the Union Petroleum Minister.

The parties while condemning the hike said it was shameful on part of the UPA Government to raise the prices of petrol and diesel six times since it came to power two years ago. It would adversely affect prices of all essential commodities. They wanted the Government to revive the oil pool account to avoid frequent fluctuation in the prices of petroleum products.

While Addanki MLA and TDP district president Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthy, former MLAs — K. Adenna, P. David Raju and Ch. Garataiah — and State secretary of TDP Bathula Brahmananda Reddy led the TDP activists, Nalluri Venkateswarlu, Ravula Venkaiah led the CPI activists and Chiranjeevi Rao led CPI(M) activists.

Police tried to use force to evict the Left party activists but desisted from the attempt once the TDP activists also arrived on the scene. They allowed the activists to continue the agitation for one hour and leave the place peacefully.

`Rasta roko'

ELURU: Activists of the TDP, CPI(M) and the CPI organised separate protests in the city on the issue on Tuesday.

When the CPI (M) workers staged a rail roko at Powerpet railway station along with the CPI, the TDP leaders went in a bullock cart up to fire station centre from their party office and led a `rasta roko' on Grant National Trunk (GNT) road resenting the UPA Government's decision to hike the prices of petrol and diesel.

Novel protest

Meanwhile, activists of the CPI-ML (New Democracy) pulled an autorickshaw with ropes for a distance as part of registering their protest on the issue. The CPI-ML (New Democracy) and Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) also organised a dharna at the district Collectorate.

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