The Trinamool Congress, a key constituent of the United Progressive Alliance government, on Friday 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 in New Delhi, 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, Mr. 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, Mr. 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 Ms. 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.”
