Grève en Inde contre la hausse des prix du carburant

'Insensitive'

Senior BJP leader LK Advani asked Indians to make the strike a success to highlight the "insensitivity of the government".

The fuel price rise followed the government's decision last month to scrap its subsidy of petrol prices in an effort to cut the budget deficit, which is forecast to hit 5.5% of GDP by 2010-11.

Allowing the price of petrol to be decided by the market has added about 3.5 rupees (£0.05; $0.08) to the price of a litre of petrol, a rise of 6.7%.

Diesel prices will be increased by 5% or 2 rupees a litre, although not immediately.

And kerosene, which is used for cooking by tens of millions of poor Indians, went up by 33% (3 rupees per litre) in the first such increase since 2002.

The government has ruled out reversing its decision.