Peak-hour traffic was thrown out of gear as the protesters sat on some major roads causing long traffic jams.
BJP workers were up in arms against the Rs5 (40 fils) hike in petrol prices, which came into effect from Saturday midnight. This was preceded by a Rs2 hike in milk prices by the government-owned Mother Dairy on Friday
According to Delhi BJP chief Gupta, the steep hikes coming just after the conclusion of the assembly elections in five states has exposed the insensitivity of the Congress party-led government at the centre. "It's a big burden on the people," Gupta said.
BJP protesters blocked major crossings at Akshardham Temple in East Delhi, Red Fort in the Central, BRT corridor, Ambedkar Nagar and Mehrauli-Badarpur in South Delhi and Subhash Nagar and Moti Nagar in West Delhi.
The federal government has washed its hands of the hike saying the state-owned oil companies were free to adjust retail prices depending on the price of crude oil in the international market.
Diesel cost
The Rs5 hike is the steepest in history. A litre of petrol now costs Rs63.37 in Delhi. The price of petrol was Rs40 two years ago.
There are indications that petrol prices may go up by another Rs2 next month along with those of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene which are sold at subsidised rates.
The price of diesel has not been increased so far as it would directly affect prices of other essential commodities, although oil companies want to increase diesel prices by Rs4 per litre and by Rs25 on every 20kg LPG cylinder.
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