Kolkata: UPA ally and Trinamool Congress
chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to roll
back the price hike in petro products but said she did not
want any 'confrontation'.
"Common people face hardship in case of price rise. I
am running the Railways with difficulty without increasing
fares. I appeal to the Prime Minister and Soniaji to
reconsider the hike," Banerjee, who is also the Railway
Minister told reporters here.
"We are for the people. I have raised these concerns
for the common man. It is not a question of going into any
confrontation," she clarified.
Under the previous UPA government too there had been
rise in prices of petroleum products, she pointed out.
Banerjee said West Bengal government should also
reduce cess on petroleum products as it was high in the state.
Banerjee's reaction came on a day when DMK, another
key constituent of the UPA government, demanded an immediate
rollback of fuel price hike.
Earlier, Trinamool Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Sudip
Bandopadhyay said his party was unhappy over the hike and
would express its annoyance on the floor of the House when the
union budget is debated.
Asked whether the party would support the cut motions
planned to be moved by BJP on petro price, he said "let us see
the developments. We will act as the situation develops."
Trinamool Congress had earlier said the party was not
consulted on the decision to increase the prices of petrol and
diesel.
TC's protest against budget just theatrics: BJP
BJP today observed a 'black day' to
protest the "anti-people and pro-inflationary" Union budget
while dubbing street protests by UPA ally Trinamool Congress
as 'theatrics'.
BJP workers, led by its state unit president Rahul Sinha,
took out a rally here to protest the budget.
Sinha said Trinamool Congress' "so-called protest against
the price hike was theatrics. If the party was really serious,
it would have left the ministry."
He said the budget was "anti-people and
pro-inflationary".
"Remaining in the Manmohan Singh government and
criticising it is double standards," he said.
He said party's agitation would continue till the price
rise was reversed.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 27, 2010, 22:25