Petrol price hike: Unjust and unilateral, says Mamata; won't pull out of government

Kolkata: UPA ally Mamata Banerjee has slammed the government she partners for hiking petrol prices by a huge Rs 7.50, saying she is "very angry."

Ms Banerjee said while her party the Trinamool Congress was committed to supporting the central government and would not pull out now as that would "create economic and political instability", it did not at all mean that they couldn't protest against what was wrong. "We cannot accept the petrol price hike," she said. The government, she added, should not have allowed such an economic situation to come to pass.

Ms Banerjee also said, once again, that her party was not consulted before the hike was effected. "It is unjust and unilateral. It was done without our knowledge...Parliament was in session till yesterday. Why was this not brought up and discussed in Parliament?" she asked.