PM does not rule out future petrol rate hikes

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday not only ruled out a roll back of last week's fuel price hike but also refused to guarantee against a future increase.

This was conveyed bluntly to a delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs and ministers which called on him yesterday to protest against the stiff hike in petrol price last week and to seek a guarantee that government would not increase fuel prices in the future.

Sources said the prime minister told the delegation

that it was not possible to give any guarantee against such price hike let alone roll back of the current increase.

The MPs were told about the problem in running an economy of India's size and the problems of public finance, they said.

They were also told that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was running a state government and that such actions would create problems for the finances of both the Centre and the states, the sources said.

There was also no guarantee that allied chief ministers would be consulted on future hikes in oil prices, the sources said.