Fuel price: Mamata to decide future with govt today

Kolkata: Angry over the latest petrol price hike, Trinamool Congress, the second largest constituent of the Congress-led ruling United Progressive Alliance at the centre, has called an emergency parliamentary party meeting here on Friday to decide the party's future course of action.

"Earlier, we had strongly protested whenever the oil prices were raised. We don't want to increase the burden on the masses, who are already reeling under the pressure of escalating prices," Trinamool MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar said.

"Our parliamentary party will meet at the party headquarters, Trinamool Bhawan. There we will decide our stand," she said.

Trinamool general secretary and union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy said: "Let us hold the meeting. Then we will spell out our stand."

The Trinamool has 18 Lok Sabha members.

Trinamool sources said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was extremely peeved over the regular oil price hikes and the party's discontent has been conveyed to the central leadership of the Congress.

A Trinamool leader said the party was never consulted before such important decisions which have a direct bearing on the daily lives of the common people.

Oil marketing companies on Thursday raised petrol prices by Rs 1.80 per litre effective from midnight, just over a month and a half since the last hike.

The latest petrol price rise, the 11th time since June 2010, comes over and above a steep upward revision of Rs 3.14 a litre on September 15, 2011.