Kolkata/Jalgaon, Nov 6
Ratcheting up pressure on the government to rollback petrol price hike, MPs of the Trinamool Congress, which has threatened to pull out of government, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday even as another key ally, the NCP, backed him on the issue.

“After a talk with the Prime Minister, we’ll return here (Kolkata) on November 9 and report to party supremo Mamata Banerjee who will take the final call,” chief whip of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay said.

“I have sent a letter to the PMO seeking an appointment with the premier on November 8. I am expecting that the appointment will be fixed on November 8 since the PMO told me that he will be abroad on November 9,” said Bandopadhyay, also Union Minister of State for Health.

In Jalgaon (Maharashtra), NCP chief Sharad Pawar backed the government on the issue. “There is no point in blaming the government for increase in the domestic prices (of fuel) as they are related to fluctuations in the international markets,” Pawar said defending the Prime Minister on the deregulation of fuel prices.

On the Trinamool Congress’ threat to withdraw from the government, Pawar said, “Our stand is to remain with the government.” Asked to comment on the Prime Minister’s remarks on deregulation, Pawar said Singh was an economist of international repute. “I am not a super economist to comment on what the Prime Minister has stated,” he said.

Bandopadhyay said he would leave for Delhi tomorrow and other Trinamool MPs would be reaching the Capital on November 08.

“We’ll express our concern to the Prime Minister. There is huge lack of coordination among the constituents in the UPA. No meeting is held with the allies before taking policy decisions. We want to express our sentiments to the Prime Minister. We are a pro-people party. Fuel prices were hiked 11 times in 12 months,” he said. — PTI