Kolkata: Seeking to placate the Trinammol Congress, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said it was "perfectly legitimate" for any UPA ally to express concern on issues like petrol price hike.
"It is perfectly legitimate for any political party which is a constituent of UPA to express concern on any issue and to discuss it with the Prime Minister. They have done exactly that," Mukherjee told newsmen here after threat by UPA's second largest ally Trinamool Congress to pull out of the ruling coalition at the Centre over hike in petrol price.
On Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's stating that the matter would be taken up with the PM after his return from abroad, Mukherjee said, "They will take up some of their concerns with the PM. I don't find anything wrong with it."
"It is perfectly legitimate for any political party which is a constituent of UPA to express concern on any issue and to discuss it with the Prime Minister. They have done exactly that," Mukherjee told newsmen here after threat by UPA's second largest ally Trinamool Congress to pull out of the ruling coalition at the Centre over hike in petrol price.
On Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's stating that the matter would be taken up with the PM after his return from abroad, Mukherjee said, "They will take up some of their concerns with the PM. I don't find anything wrong with it."
Without referring to Trinamool's allegation that the party was not consulted before the petrol price hike, Mukherjee said, "There is an EGoM. It consists of the representatives of all political parties which have a member in the union cabinet. Our partners in the coalition are members.
"Sometimes they come to the meeting (of EGoM), sometimes they don't. That is a different question. But they are members. All four partners of the UPA have representative in the EGoM.
"Only the price of petrol which was deregulated has increased. It (deregulation) did not take place today, the decision was taken on June 28, last year," he said at the National University of Juridical Sciences.
Stating that the UPA government has taken note of the protests by various political parties, Mukherjee said, "Naturally, when price is hiked and if it hits the people, the people will react. They don't like to listen to economic reasons."
"Oil companies think that their financial situation is such that they will not be able to import crude if their financial health is totally broken," Mukherjee remarked. "Sometimes they come to the meeting (of EGoM), sometimes they don't. That is a different question. But they are members. All four partners of the UPA have representative in the EGoM.
"Only the price of petrol which was deregulated has increased. It (deregulation) did not take place today, the decision was taken on June 28, last year," he said at the National University of Juridical Sciences.
Stating that the UPA government has taken note of the protests by various political parties, Mukherjee said, "Naturally, when price is hiked and if it hits the people, the people will react. They don't like to listen to economic reasons."
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