The Trinamool Congress and the DMK, both UPA allies, which are seeking a rollback in the hike of petrol and diesel prices, on Tuesday made it clear that there is no threat to the Government.
“We are in the UPA government and we will continue to be in it,” Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.
“We don’t want to get into any quarrel. In a democracy different political parties have their own position and our party has also articulated its view,” she said.
In Chennai, Kanimozhi, daughter of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, also spoke in a similar vein.
“There will be different points of view in a coalition government but it doesn’t mean that the alliance has to break. We work together in so many other issues and we have so many common beliefs which keep us together. I think that is more important,” she said.
“Sorry to say what many people hoped for will not happen,” she said on reports that there was unease in the alliance.
While the Trinamool has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha, DMK has 18 in the 543-member House. The UPA’s strength with the outside support of the BSP and the SP is 323.
“We are always for the people. If there is rise in prices of petrol and diesel, it hits the common people. That is why, we have appealed. It is the democratic way,” Ms. Banerjee said when asked about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comments ruling out any rollback in the hike of oil prices.
“Prices of essential commodities go up in case of increase in prices of petrol and diesel. We have appealed to the government to reconsider its decision,” she said.
