Kolkata/Chennai, May 25: The Centre on Friday came under mounting pressure from within the ruling UPA to roll back the petrol price hike with Trinamool leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee planning a protest march and DMK and outside supporter Samajwadi Party announcing agitation plans.
The protest action by the key UPA allies —Trinamool and DMK — and Samajwadi are expected to lend weight to a united opposition onslaught against the Rs.7.54/litre hike with the BJP-led NDA and the Left already announcing an all India bandh on May 31.
DMK announced it will hold agitations in Tamil Nadu on May 30 while Samajwadi called for a State-wide bandh in Uttar Pradesh the next day.
Joining the growing political opposition to the hike, the ruling BJD in Odisha also gave a call for a State-wide bandh on May 31 to demand an immediate rollback.
Ms. Banerjee would lead the procession on Saturday from Jadavpore to Hazra crossing, covering a distance of 5 km in south Kolkata, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee told PTI in Kolkata.
“It will be a major voice of protest against the petrol price hike,” Ms. Mukherjee said.
Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy led the Trinamool protest march with other party leaders and State Ministers on Thursday in Kolkata to demand a rollback.
Announcing DMK's protest plans on May 30, the party said in a release that it would stage peaceful demonstrations in front of the central government offices and district collectorates at all district headquarters in Tamil Nadu.
“DMK cannot remain ignorant of people's issues” though it is a UPA constituent,” party supremo and former chief minister M. Karunanidhi said in Chennai.
SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdury said the party's State executive meeting chaired by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow decided to hold a State-wide bandh on May 31 to roll back petrol price hike.
In Bhubaneswar, BJD general secretary Narendra Swain said the ruling party has decided to observe a shut-down across the state on May 31.
Anna Hazare also announced support for the Bharat Bandh, saying his supporters will participate in the stir.
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