Mysore/Mysuru: Strongly condemning the Karnataka Government’s action of hiking petrol and diesel prices soon after the Lok Sabha polls, the City and District Unit of the BJP, as part of the Statewide agitation, staged a massive protest in front of the new Deputy Commissioner’s  (DC) Office in Siddarthanagar here this morning.

Hundreds of BJP leaders and workers, who gathered in front of KMF Dairy on Bannur Road, went in a huge procession to the DC’s Office shouting slogans. The procession was accompanied by a good number of  bullock carts and horse drawn carts.

Addressing the protesters, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar said that the price hike was a huge burden on common man.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has hiked fuel prices despite knowing the problems that people have to face as the hike would cause a cascading effect on prices of other essential commodities,” he said and urged the CM to understand people’s problems and roll-back the fuel price hike.

Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa described the hike as anti-people and said it is the responsibility of the BJP as the Opposition Party to ensure justice for poor people, farmers and common man.

Claiming that the Congress had hiked fuel prices as it was frustrated with its poor showing in the recently held LS polls, Srivatsa maintained that the hike would trigger a rise in prices of essential commodities.

He urged CM Siddaramaiah to show the same concern that he had displayed while in the Opposition. He further said that bus fares, auto fares, daily rations and vegetables would get costlier due to fuel price hike and urged the Congress Government to roll-back the price hike in the better interests of the common man.

City BJP President L. Nagendra and District BJP President L.R. Mahadevaswamy, who too addressed the protestors, accused Siddaramaiah of double standards and claimed that the Government has no money to fund developmental works in the State.

“Siddaramaiah had launched a protest against the previous BJP Government, when he was in the Opposition, against the hike in petroleum products. Now, when he is in power, he is defending it, which speaks about his hypocrisy,” they said and urged the State Government to immediately withdraw the hike. They warned that the BJP would continue to protest till the Government rolls back the price hike.

Later, the BJP leaders presented a memorandum to Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra urging the State Government to withdraw the fuel price hike (see pic).

As the BJP had plans to lay siege to the DC Office as part of the protest, the City Police under the leadership of DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj had made elaborate security arrangements around the DC Office. KSRP Platoons were also deployed near the venue.

Former Mayors Sandesh Swamy and Shivakumar, party leaders Jogi Manju, H.G.Giridhar, B.M. Raghu, Rakesh Bhat, Rakesh Gowda, Paduvarahalli Ramakrishna, Renuka Raj, former KEA Chairman Mirle Srinivas Gowda, former Deputy Mayor Shailendra, ex-Corporators M.K. Shankar and Ramesh and others took part in the protest.