New Delhi:
A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to quit the UPA government over the petrol price hike, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the conflict will be resolved soon.
"So far the oil prices are concerned, I think where I am going there will be some media, I will explain in little detail, why the oil marketing company had to take this decision and in respect of the other decision of our valued partner Trinamool Congress. I went through the newspaper and media reports, they have stated. They have agreed. They will talk to the PM and I think issue will be resolved," said Mr Mukherjee.
The new prices kicked in from Friday and in the afternoon Ms Banerjee warned the Congress that she may have to opt out of the government over not just the new price but the manner in which it was introduced. (Read: Mamata issues ultimatum, PM defends hike)
"The price hike may not affect the Centre or Delhi but it affects our people... we stand by the people," Ms Banerjee said, underscoring that the prices of fuel and products like cooking gas and kerosene have been raised 11 times in the last few months.
"We don't want to blackmail anyone, but we have tolerated a lot," she warned. With her 18 Lok Sabha MPs, Ms Banerjee is the Congress' largest ally and an indispensable part of the UPA.
However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh defended the petrol price hike.
"The move to decontrol petrol prices is part of the process of the direction in which we should move," Dr Manmohan Singh said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Cannes.
"These are very sensitive areas, I have no hesitation in saying ultimately we must allow the markets to find their own level except for those commodities that are in the nature of semi-public goods. The direction of change is quite clear, we must move in the direction of decontrolling more and more prices," he added.
"So far the oil prices are concerned, I think where I am going there will be some media, I will explain in little detail, why the oil marketing company had to take this decision and in respect of the other decision of our valued partner Trinamool Congress. I went through the newspaper and media reports, they have stated. They have agreed. They will talk to the PM and I think issue will be resolved," said Mr Mukherjee.
The new prices kicked in from Friday and in the afternoon Ms Banerjee warned the Congress that she may have to opt out of the government over not just the new price but the manner in which it was introduced. (Read: Mamata issues ultimatum, PM defends hike)
"The price hike may not affect the Centre or Delhi but it affects our people... we stand by the people," Ms Banerjee said, underscoring that the prices of fuel and products like cooking gas and kerosene have been raised 11 times in the last few months.
"We don't want to blackmail anyone, but we have tolerated a lot," she warned. With her 18 Lok Sabha MPs, Ms Banerjee is the Congress' largest ally and an indispensable part of the UPA.
However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh defended the petrol price hike.
"The move to decontrol petrol prices is part of the process of the direction in which we should move," Dr Manmohan Singh said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Cannes.
"These are very sensitive areas, I have no hesitation in saying ultimately we must allow the markets to find their own level except for those commodities that are in the nature of semi-public goods. The direction of change is quite clear, we must move in the direction of decontrolling more and more prices," he added.
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