MASS ACTION: Activists of the BJP staging a protest in front of the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. - PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Demanding immediate withdrawal of the fuel price hike, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday held a protest meeting near Visvesvaraya Statue, Khairatabad, and then tried to march down to the Raj Bhavan.

Traffic on the busy stretch was disrupted for some time and the police later shifted the party leaders and workers from the Raj Bhavan gates.

Former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who addressed the rally at Khairatabad crossroads, demanded that the Left parties withdraw support to the UPA Government at Centre on the issue of fuel price hike.

"Hike after hike in the last two years has resulted in sharp rise in prices of essential commodities, affecting the common man badly," he said.

Mr. Dattratreya said that the Left parties should come clean on where they exactly stand on the issue. "They give green signal at meetings on fuel price hike with the Union Government and after coming out call for agitation with red flags," he said.

BJP former president Bangaru Laxman suggested a meeting of Chief Ministers to rationalise the sales and other taxes. Mr. Laxman said that the Congress went to the polls with the slogan, `Congress ka haath, aam admi ke saath'. "On coming to power, the party is only giving `haath' to the common man," he said.

Party State president N. Indrasena Reddy, MLA G. Kishen Reddy, Deputy Mayor Subash Chanderji and others were also present.

Tough time for police

When not allowed to move towards Raj Bhavan, Mr. Dattatreya, along with followers, squatted on the road giving a tough time to the police. Even while he was being shifted, the other leaders, including Mr. Kishen Reddy and Dr. Laxman, led another team of protestors towards the Raj Bhavan gates, which were closed.

Woman party workers continued the protest after all the leaders were taken away and the police watched helplessly since there were no woman constables to physically remove them.

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