Ahead of her party MPs' meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi tomorrow over the petrol price hike,Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said her party would not compromise on the price rise issue. We will not compromise on what is hitting the common man most. Our battle will go on. Our party MPs will meet the Prime Minister tomorrow,if he gives time,and express our grievances and listen to what he says, the West Bengal chief minister told PTI. In a bid to put pressure on the government,Trinamool Congress,the second largest constituent of the UPA with 18 Lok Sabha and six Rajya Sabha MPs,held an emergency meeting of its parliamentary party last week after which Banerjee said the leaders favoured withdrawal of support but she put this move on hold. There is also talk of increasing diesel and LPG prices. Trinamool Congress is a pro-people party. People are already overburdened with rising prices. We are not going to accept it, Mamata said. Her party colleague and Union minister Sudip Bandyopadhyay before leaving for Delhi said leaders would apprise Mamata about the discussions with the PM following which she would take a decision. According to Bandopadhyay,Mamata had complained that despite her repeated pleas,there existed no co-ordination committee in UPA,representing allies. Sharply reacting to criticism in 'certain quarters' that Mamata Banerjee as part of the Empowered Group of Ministers had in June 2010 decided to deregulate or free petrol prices,Bandopadhyay said: Mamata did not attend the EGoM meeting where such a decision was taken. Trinamool Congress was never taken into confidence by the UPA government in policy decisions, he claimed. Bandyopadhyay pointed out Mamata Banerjee gave a note of dissent in the (Union) Cabinet on the Land Bill which had to be subsequently recast in the light of the points raised by her. Meanwhile,state industry minister Partha Chatterjee said the chief minister would be present at a meeting tomorrow in the Raj Bhavan where Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would discuss the state's financial health. He,however,clarified the meeting had been scheduled about 10 days before the pull-out threat on the fuel price hike issue. MPs sans Mamata to meet PM tomorrow A delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs,led by senior leader Partho Chatterjee,will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Tuesday without party chief Mamata Banerjee in the wake of the pullout threat by the UPA ally over the latest fuel price hike. "TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be part of the delegation as she is not coming to Delhi," said a senior TMC leader,adding that the delegation will convey the party's views on the recent petrol hike to the Prime Minister. The TMC parliamentary party has already authorised Banerjee to take the final decision after they decided on November 4 to pull out of the government if there was no rollback. While the Congress is part of the TMC government in West Bengal,Mamata-led party is not depending on Congress for an absolute majority in the state. However,the Congress depends on TMC for a majority at the Centre.
