Bengaluru, 20 June 

BJP on Thursday held "Cycle Jatha" here, as part of its State-wide protest against Congress government's decision to hike petrol and diesel prices.

BJP workers and leaders led by State President BY Vijayendra sought rode bicycles from the party's state office 'Jagannath Bhavan' to 'Vidhana Soudha'. However, the police stopped the protesters mid-way, detained Vijayendra and others and whisked them away in a bus.

Last week the government hiked sales tax on fuel making petrol and diesel costlier by Rs 3 and Rs 3.5 per litre.

Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra urged the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to roll it back. "In Bengaluru by organising Cycle Jatha, the party has tried to warn the State government, but this adamant government is not even thinking about rolling back price hike. Siddaramaiah is citing higher prices in neighbouring states, but our State is in distress, farmers are in distress due to drought, in such a situation the decision to put more burden on the common man is an unpardonable sin," he said.

Vijayendra said that Ministers have also said that bus fare will also be hiked, and water tariffs increased in Bengaluru in the future. "This government has become a curse to the people of the state."

Reacting to Home Minister G Parameshwara's reported indirect caution to BJP that the police may resort to caning to disperse anyone who tries to cause inconvenience to the public in the name of protests, he called it "height of foolishness."

"BJP will not fear for lathis and will raise their voice for the sake of people and farmers. Parameshwara  is speaking out of arrogance of power, we will not fear such things, our fight will continue until the government withdraws its decision," he said.

Similar protests have been reported from Belagavi, Mysuru, Mandya, Shivamogga, Hubballi and Haveri among other places. -PTI