New Delhi, Sept 16: Trinamool Congress, a key constituent of the UPA government, today demanded a roll back of the hike in petrol prices as it would hit the common man hard.
“Trinamool Congress wants roll back of the petrol price hike,” senior Trinamool Congress leader and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi told reporters here, adding his party's opinion was never sought before implementing the decision. Stating that the hike would put an additional burden on the common man, Trivedi strongly opposed the possible hike in LPG prices.
“It is not a luxury but an essential for common man and should not be raised further,” he told reporters. He said the hike was not “acceptable” to the common man and he would have “definitely” stated this at the EGoM on LPG which has been postponed Asked how his party was going to protest the hike, he said, “You cannot have a knee-jerk reaction. You can't have any undemocratic reaction. We have already registered our protest.”
He said party chief Mamata Banerjee “has already registered her protest.”“Mamata Banerjee was the first one to do so. Even during the last fuel hike Mamata was the first Chief Minister to roll back the state levy,” he said.However, he stressed that the protest against the hike would be done in a democratic fashion.
On possible hike in rail fares, Trivedi said, “We would do what is right for the common people. Common man needs relief not more burden. How we would do it, that needs to be thought of.”He said constant demand by his party for a rollback in prices of petroleum products earlier and now were not intended at destabilising the government as Mamata Banerjee “is a very responsible leader.”
“If somebody is looking for some kind of instability in the government, let's be categorical about it. There is no problem as far as the stability of the government is concerned because Mamata Banerjee is a very responsible leader. So do not read too much into it.”
In Delhi, terming the government's move to hike petrol prices as “callous”, the CPI(M) today demanded immediate roll back of the hike and restoration of the administrative regulation of petrol pricing.
CPI-M Politburo said this was the third increase this year which “comes at a time when inflation is touching double digits and the people have no respite from the price rise of essential commodities.
This callous move will only have a cascading effect on inflation and price rise.” “The people can see that the Congress-led government is itself responsible for stoking price rise and inflation by such measures,” the CPI(M) said, demanding the cancellation of this price rise and restoring the administrative regulation of pricing of petrol.
Party General Secretary Prakash Karat said the repeated increases in petrol prices “shows how callous the UPA government has become”.“The deregulation of petrol prices is already having a cascading effect while the UPA government has been consistently refusing to rationalise the tax structure on petroleum prices,” he said.
In Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal slammed the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for effecting “totally unjustified” and “back breaking” hike in petrol price.
“The totally unwarranted hike in petrol prices will not only break back of the already suffering common man, but will also dampen economy and further slow down growth rate,” Badal said in a statement here.
The CM said that inflation was very high and has gone beyond the control of the UPA government despite its tall claims to manage it.The hike would adversely affect the transport sector in the state resulting in corresponding price rise of essential commodities, he said.Badal asked the Centre to evolve a transparent system to decide the prices of petroleum products in consultation with all the political parties. In Delhi's Jantar Mantar, Delhi BJP leaders sat on protest to demand rollback of petrol price hike.
In Kolkata, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni today said that she would convey the concern of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over price rise to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“She has expressed her concern over the price rise and as a member of the Union cabinet, I will convey it to the Prime Minister tomorrow,” Soni told reporters here after meeting the chief minister, a UPA ally who has opposed some vital initiatives of the central government.Asked about the EGoM meet on limiting domestic LPG cylinder supply, Soni said the meeting had been deferred. “I don't know when it will be held next as I am out of station today.”
In Chennai, DMK, a key ally of the UPA, today asked the Government to “roll back” the hike in petrol prices, saying the increase would have a “cascading effect”.
“The hike in petrol prices will affect the lower and middle income groups and the poor. Government should not reduce the subsidy,” DMK party spokesman T K S Elangovan said.
He said the increase should be rolled back as it would have “cascading effect” on the common man.
DMK is the second UPA ally after Mamta Banerjee led-Trinamool Congress to demand that the Government retrace its step. PTI
