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Will walk out of UPA if petrol price hiked again: Mamata
The Trinamool Congress will not remain in the United Progressive Alliance government if prices of petro products are hiked again, party chief Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.
"We don't want to blackmail the UPA government. We don't want to come out if it takes a correct decision," said Mamata.
Unhappy over the latest hike in petrol prices, Trinamool Congress Members of Parliament on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to register their protest.
The delegation of the party, which is the second largest constituent of the UPA after Congress with 18 MPs, indicated that it got no assurance from the prime minister on the demand for a rollback of the Rs 1.8 hike in petrol price announced last week.
Will walk out of UPA if petrol price hiked again: Mamata
"We expressed our sentiments to the prime minister and gave him a copy of the resolution adopted at the Parliamentary Party meeting held in Kolkata," said Union Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay after the 45-minute meeting with Dr Singh.
He said the delegation had categorically told the prime minister that Trinamool was opposed to any decision that would lead to another rise in the prices of diesel, LPG and kerosene, as has been reported in the media.
Dr Singh said he was not aware of any such decision, Bandhopadhyay told reporters.
"Trinamool Congress will not digest easily whenever there is another rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG," Bandhopadhyay said. Asked whether the prime minister gave any assurance on rollback of the latest petrol price hike, he replied in the negative.
Will walk out of UPA if petrol price hiked again: Mamata
The delegation also complained to the prime minister about the "huge lack" of coordination between the Congress and coalition partners.
"We also told him that there is a huge lack of coordination between coalition partners in the UPA-II. There are opportunities to interact with the prime minister during Cabinet meetings but there is lack of coordination among allies of the UPA-II," the minister of state for health said.
The prime minister "agreed" that it will be improved, Bandhopadhyay said.
He said the deliberations with the prime minister would be conveyed to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.