Mangalore:  Senior Congress leader B Janardhan Poojari has come down heavily on the BJP, NDA and other Left parties for giving a Bharath bundh call on May 31 against petrol price hike.

Speaking to reporters in Mangalore on May 29, Tuesday, he said the bundh call was illegal as even the Supreme Court has ruled that there should not be any bundh and even if there is any bundh, the party which has given the bundh call bust bear the losses incurred.

Strongly defending the hike, he pointed out that the government was already coughing up as much as Rs 1,94000 crore as subsidy on petroleum products.

He said the tax imposed by the state government was high compared to that of Goa and urged the state government to reduce the tax. He also said it was regrettable that some UPA allies have themselves opposed the hike.