By IANS,
New Delhi : With the government expected to take a decision on hiking prices of petroleum products next week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said any increase in prices of petrol and diesel will be “opportunistic and unjust”.
“People are reeling under price rise, corruption and food inflation. They will be overburdened by fuel price hike. It will affect poorer sections severely,” BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS.
An empowered group of ministers (EGoM), headed by union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is expected to meet May 11 to decide on a hike in diesel prices.
Naqvi said the move to hike prices a day after voting was over in four states and a union territory was “opportunistic”.
The government had decontrolled price of petrol in June last year but had advised companies after the hike in January this year against going for a further increase in prices.
Oil marketing companies have been making demand for hiking prices of petroleum products in view of their mounting under recoveries.