Long queues at a petrol pump in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, hours before the steep hike in prices petrol came into effect. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 23: Cutting across party lines, people have sharply reacted to the steep rise in petroleum prices. State finance minister Prafulla Ghadai said: “It’s unfortunate that the UPA government has burdened the people with such a hike. The government should reconsider the decision keeping people’s plight in mind.”

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has threatened to launch an agitation against the UPA government’s decision to hike petrol price. BJD youth wing president Sanjay Kumar Das Burma said: “We will start our agitation programme from tomorrow by the way of dharna near the Raj Bhavan. Later the agitation will be extended across the state.”

Stating that the UPA had no rights to continue in power anymore, Das Burma said: “Such a huge hike in petroleum prices was never witnessed during the past 65-years of Independence. The agitation will continue till the UPA government is dislodged from power.”

Condemning the hike in petroleum prices, BJP state unit president Jual Oram said: “Our youth wing has called an emergency meeting to chalk out a plan to organise protest meetings. The UPA government has lost its credibility to continue in power anymore.”

Samajwadi Party state unit president Rabi Behera said: “The UPA should immediately rollback the price hike.”

Beside political parties, the common people have also reacted sharply to the hike. Srikant Rout, a postgraduate student in Utkal University said: “We are already badly hit by inflation and price hike in petrol means that managing monthly budget will be very difficult. I am even thinking of switching over to bicycle.”

Odia writer Kanakalata Mohanty said: “With a rise in prices, the cost of everything will go up. I don’t know how my son will manage the family.”