By IANS,
New Delhi: Stunned by the attacks of its United Progressive Alliance partners on the petrol price hike, the Congress Saturday assured it would address their concerns and explain the issue to them.
“The concerns of the allies would be addressed when the government meets them. Nobody should speculate before the prime minister is back and that meeting takes place,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
“Allies will sit together and some constructive solution will emerge.”
Singhvi said the party expected the government to be sensitive on the issue and give some relief to people.
“The government is also not happy with the hike but the issue has to be understood in the right perspective,” said Singhvi.
The Trinamool Congress, the biggest constituent in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) after the Congress, was furious. Its MPs said they wanted to quit the government but party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not take any action without meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was in Cannes for the G-20 meet.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left also spewed fire, the strong reaction of the Trinamool Congress had stunned the Congress.
The other allies — the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), DMK and National Conference — were more subdued but also critical.
The price of petrol was hiked by Rs.1.80 a litre, effective Friday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had defended the government, saying the decision was not of the government but of the petroleum companies.