The National Democratic Alliance has decided to hold a Bharat Bandh on May 31 to protest the hike in petrol prices.
Working chairman of the NDA, Mr L.K. Advani, announced the decision at a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national executive meeting here on Thursday. He said the decision was taken after consultations with all partners of the front.
Addressing the meeting, the BJP president, Mr Nitin Gadkari said the United Progressive Alliance is in Intensive Care Unit.
Briefing reporters, BJP’s chief spokesperson, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, said the party’s president slammed the economic policies of the UPA.
“Mr Gadkari said the economic problems of the country are not because of the crisis at the Euro zone. He said it is a result of the massive corruption under the UPA,” Mr Prasad said quoting Mr Gadkari.
Mr Prasad also questioned the rationale that the states should share the burden of the hike in petroleum prices. “It’s the Centre that created this problem. Such a situation has happened not because of the volatility of dollar but because of the weakness of the country’s economic policy,” Mr Prasad added.
He said the Centre is taxing petroleum products at three stages. “First at the crude oil as customs duty, then excise duty after refining and then profit on margins. State governments collect sales tax from retailers,” Mr Prasad said, hinting that the NDA Government may not reduce the sales tax on petrol.