Petrol price hike indicates economic mismanagement: Arjun Munda

RANCHI: Alleging economic mismanagement, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda today criticised petro-hike of Rs 7.50 while the CPI (M) termed it unprecedented for one-time hike.

"Petro hike, price rise and decline in the value of rupee indicate economic mismanagement, which is a cause for concern of the common people," Munda said in a press release here.

"Prices of essential commodities have increased manifold, putting the common people in hardship. If efforts are not taken to rein all these problems the poor would be hard pressed," Munda added.

Demanding immediate roll back, the Central Committee member of the CPI (M), J S Mazumdar, claimed with the latest petro-hike the total amount of hike on the fuel since 2010 stood at Rs 25.

"And Rs 7.50 is unprecedented for a one-time hike. We have protested in Jharkhand and other parts of the country against the hike and demanded roll back," Mazumdar added.

CPI (ML-Liberation) MLA Vinod Kumar Singh said, "The hike comes barely three days after UPA-II celebrated its completion of three years in office. The government should roll back immediately".

Meanwhile, separate protest demonstrations against the hike staged in most parts of the state by BJP, left and other parties.

In a statement, BJP's Jharkhand unit spokesman Pradip Kumar Sinha said, "Instead of solving the problems of the common people, the UPA government has been compounding their miseries".

"The hike is a gift to the already burdened common people on the occasion of the third anniversary of the UPA-II," he alleged.

BJP activists burnt effigies at different district headquarters in protest against the hike, he added.