Rail fare hike anti-people: Naveen

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, June 21: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has termed the Centre’s decision for a steep hike in railway passenger and freight fare as “anti middle class and anti-people”.“Passenger fare hike across the board is going to affect passengers at large and more particularly poor people travelling in sleeper class,” Patnaik said in a statement.“Hike in freight charges will further aggravate inflation and lead to price rise affecting people at large,” the Chief Minister said.“This is an anti-middle class and anti-people move,” he added.The Chief Minister, however, did not demand for a roll back, though his party, the Biju Janata Dal, demanded so.The BJD, which used to take to streets as and when the Congress-government government ordered any hike in rail fares in the past, threatened to launch an agitation if the Centre did not withdraw the order to hike the rail fares.Opposition Congress in Odisha has demanded a roll back of the hike in railway passenger and freight fare.