Lucknow, Jan 11 (IANS): Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has slammed Uttar Pradesh government's proposal for a 23 per cent hike in power tariff.

"This is BJP's shocker to people who are already reeling under the price rise. The move will only add to people's woes," he said in a release.

The SP chief said that with the power hike, domestic users will bear the maximum brunt with an additional 23 per cent increase in power bills. This hike seems to be the BJP's attempt to add to the price rise, he added.

"The rise in power tariff will take its toll on the common man, farmers, traders and add to the rising prices. As a result, the poor, the lower middle and middle class will feel the maximum brunt of this move. But the BJP appears least concerned about the impact of increased rates on the poor. It seems the government's policies are only leaving the common man in one crisis after another," he said.

"In the Assembly elections, the BJP had promised free power to farmers for irrigation. But the promise has turned out to be a mere 'jumla' (statement) like many others that the BJP had made before the elections. People are already fed up with paying for rising prices of food products, cooking oil, fuel, pulses and foodgrains. The increasing cost of education was already an added pressure. Now the increase in power bills is the last thing that was needed to destroy the monthly budget of the salaried, lower middle and middle class," he said.