Due to global crude price hike, in recent months, the Indian government raised the prices of petrol by Rs.5/- a liter and that of diesel by Rs.3/- per liter. Although these rises were modest, the domestic LPG gas cylinder price was raised by Rs.50/- per cylinder from Rs.300/- to Rs.350/- per cylinder, dealing a severe blow to the 350 million strong middle class families.
This rise had a political fall out and the Principal opposition party BJP in the parliament described it as unleashing ‘economic terror’. The ruling communist party in the province of West Bengal declared a strike for 12 hours on Thursday 5th june’08 followed by a similar strike by the principal opposition the Trinamul Congress on 6th june’08, bolstered by decent gains in the rural polls held recently. With the national polls round the corner it was politics all over.