New Delhi, Jun 29 (IANS): After a day long protest against the fuel price hike across the country on Monday, the Congress has hit out at the government for not rolling back the price hike.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with party leaders released a video message for workers and against the hike as Congress workers adopted a unique method to protest using cycles and bullock carts.

"The protests aimed at underlining the Government's extortionist looting of the common Indian during the Covid-19 crisis by profiteering at their cost, "said Congress leader KC Venugopal.

In a statement, party General Secretary Venugopal said "The party thanks its volunteers and workers for making today's programme a huge success and hopes that the voice of the people will force the government to roll back its grossly anti people extortionist decision of raising prices by charging record excise duty from the people."

"The government has set a new example of extortion from people through this unjustified increase in petrol and diesel prices. This is not only unjust but also insensitive," Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi had said, noting that it directly hurts the country's farmers, the poor, the working class, the middle class and the small businesses.

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that "the government has raised prices of petrol and diesel 22 times. You will have to pay more for buying fuel. Indirectly, you suffer when inflation rises due to a hike in petrol and diesel prices," even as the prices burn a hole directly in ones pocket every time one goes to a filling station. "Price of crude oil is at an all-time low but fuel prices have touched an all-time high in India."

The Congress initiated a social media campaign "Speak Up Against Fuel Hike" in which the party claimed lakhs of messages and videos were exchanged and shared highlighting the plight of farmers, taxi and bus owners, transporters, labourers and the common people who suffer.

The same trended globally at the top, with lakhs of Congress volunteers on various social media platforms participating in it. From June 30 to July 4, the party will conduct further massive protests at the taluk/tehsil and block levels.