Mamata may agree to partial price rollback

Mamata may agree to partial price rollback
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Calcutta, Oct 2: Scaling down from its demand of total withdrawal of price hike of the petroleum products, the Trinamool Congress today demanded `some relief' in the form of partial rollback fuelling hopes that the impasse arising out of the resignation of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee might come to an end.

Although Mamata kept herself away from the press, chairman of the party's policy-making body Pankaj Banerjee told newsmen at her residence that negotiations were still on with the emissary of the Prime Minister over phone. ``Some solution will come out within the next few hours'', he hoped.

``We are awaiting a decision from them regarding some concessions. We hope that the Centre will take suitable action to give some relief to the common people'', he said.

Another Trinamool Congress leader Sobhandev Chattopadhyay, however, said there was no new development so far. ``But talks are on. Any information might come from Delhi any moment. Then she would come and speak to you'', he told waiting mediapersons.

Party sources said Sudhirendra Kulkarni, a senior official in the PMO spoke to the Railway Minister thrice during the day. The sources, however, declined to divulge the outcome of the negotiations.

To a question regarding Trinamool's ultimatum for the withdrawal from NDA within three days which expires tomorrow, the party's policy-making body chairman said ``we will stick to it'' if no solution emerges.

He told a questioner that they would sit and discuss the future course of action if no solution emerged.

To another question, Banerjee said the induction of Tyabrata Mukherjee, another BJP MP from the state into the Union Council of Ministers had nothing to do with the resignation of Mamata Banerjee and Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja. ``They resigned to protect the interests of the common men'', he said.

He said the oil pool deficit could have been made up through other avenues.

When informed that the Prime Minister had already ruled out any possibility of rollback in prices of petroleum products, Banerjee said that they had no such information.

Meanwhile in Calcutta, West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today sought to belittle the protest resignations of Mamata Banerjee, saying she was a party to the Centre's decision to increase the prices of petroleum products.

"It was a unanimous cabinet decision....Banerjee was present there. The Prime Minister has said it," Basu told reporters here while announcing that CPI-M would launch a "bigger" movement against the price hike after the Puja festival.

When newsmen pointed out that she had resigned in protest against the price rise, Basu said, "But the decision to increase the prices was taken in her presence."

Asked about the possibility of the Trinamool Congress leader coming closer to the Congress, he said "I do not bother about who joins Congress, BJP or Muslim League."

Flaying the Vajpayee Government for the increase in the prices of petroleum products, the Chief Minister said his party had already organised protest demonstrations against the hike and would "launch a bigger movement after the Puja festival."

Basu said he has already written to the Prime Minister opposing the petro price increase. State Finance Minister Ashim Dasgupta, he said, would shortly go to Delhi and talk to the Union Finance Minister on the issue.

Dasgupta would also talk to the Prime Minister if the latter could give time, he said.

The Chief Minister said the poor would be the most hardhit by the increase in price of kerosene. Transport operators would also launch a movement against the oil price hike, he said.