New Delhi/Kolkata, Nov 7: Mounting pressure on the government after threatening to pull out over petrol price hike issue, Trinamool Congress leaders will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow on a day when West Bengal's financial health is to be discussed.
TMC chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be part of the delegation of party MPs since she will remain in Kolkata tomorrow for a meeting in the Raj Bhavan where Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will discuss the financial situation.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid hoped that a solution could be reached during the meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi.
TMC, with 18 members in the Lok Sabha, is the largest ally of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and is peeved that allies were not consulted over the latest price hike. It has six MPs in the Rajya Sabha.
The delegation, which will convey the party's views to the Prime Minister, will be led by senior leader Partho Chatterjee.
Trinamool leader and Union minister Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the delegation will not demand a rollback of the petrol hike but will “express grievances to the PM.”
He said the common man was being affected and that is not a good thing.
“No, we are not asking for a rollback. We are trying to represent the grievances of the common man. Prices of diesel and gas are going to increase, is what we are hearing,” he said when asked whether the delegation will demand a rollback.
Upping the ante on the eve of the meeting, Banerjee said her party would not ‘compromise' on the price rise issue.
“We will not compromise on the price rise issue which is hitting the common man most. Our battle will go on...,” Banerjee told PTI in Kolkata without elaborating. Khurshid maintained that the government was “sensitive” towards the common man and the demands of the allies. “During the talks with the Prime Minister, I hope they will understand some points and the PM can also make changes in the present system,” he said in New Delhi.
West Bengal Industries minister Partha Chatterjee said the Chief Minister would be present at the meeting convened at Raj Bhavan tomorrow.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay told PTI today before leaving for Delhi, “After a talk with the Prime Minister, we will return here on November nine and report to party chief Mamata Banerjee who will take the final call.”
The TMC parliamentary party has already authorized Banerjee to take the decision in the matter after they decided on November 4 to pull out of the government if there was no rollback.
