Govt should mull relief to common man from petrol price hike: Cong

“This is for the government to consider and give a serious thought and take all possible steps,” AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

Refusing to specifically answer whether the party wants government to review the decision to deregulate petrol prices,Dwivedi said,”Any policy,which does not give the desired result or is not good for the people,can be revisited.”

The Prime Minister had yesterday told journalists in Cannes that “these are very sensitive areas and I have no hesitation in saying ultimately we must allow the markets to find their own level except for those commodities which are semi public goods…So,the direction of change is quite clear. We must move in the direction of decontrolling more and more prices.”

He had made the remarks when asked about the uproar back home over petrol price hike and Trinamool Congress’ threat to pull out of the UPA government.

Congress leaders,had speaking privately yesterday,indicated that a partial roll-back in the petrol price hike is possible but party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi today ruled out any such specific demand by the party saying it is for the government to decide through what methods and actions it want to give relief to the people.

Singhvi said,”There is a need to understand the issue in right perspective. We had made it clear yesterday itself what the government does,how it does,in what manner it does,what methodology it finds appropriate,these are all matters,which the government has to decide.”

The Congress spokesperson said the party is not going to put “fetters” in the government’s discretion adding the party has only expressed a “strong sentiment,a concern,a sensitivity that there could be several methods to give a counter-vailing healing touch and how the government does is up to them.”

“A support structure,a safety net and a countervailing measure has to be created to reduce the impact of this on the vulnerable sections. I have no doubt government will attend to it in whichever manner it thinks fit in near future”,he said.

Asked about Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s threat to pull out from the government on the issue,the Congress spokesperson said,”As far as allies are concerned,their sensitivities and concerns are totally understood.

Indeed,the government itself is not happy with these things happening” adding that such occurrences are “not desirable” things but “inevitabilities”.

Reacting sharply to BJP’s criticism of the government on the issue,Singhvi accused the opposition party of doing “Narad Muni politics” hoping for instability in the government to come back to power.

“For all the rumour-mongering BJP is doing,all the Narad Muni politics it is doing,all the desperation that BJP is showing to put things to a precipice,the allies will sit together and some constructive solution will emerge,” he said.

Singhvi also found nothing wrong in supporting deregulation of petroleum prices saying removing the Administered Price Mechanism was also for public good and “these prices are more transparent and true”.

He argued if subsidies were given on petrol,people will have to bear the brunt by paying additional taxes to make up for the budget deficit.

Replying to repeated questions about Banerjee’s pull-out threat,Singhvi said,”Though we do not agree with her words and the manner of the expression,they are not related to power. Their concerns are of Aam Admi,which are also ours.”

Singhvi also attacked CPI-M for its criticism of the government on the petrol hike issue.

“CPI-M has no idea of governance. They are only making rhetorical and political comments without any idea of facts,economics and reality…when it comes to sharing power,they run away because they do not want to be accountable. These are rhetorical and political comments based on inflexible axioms and inflexible compulsions of a party whose ideology is outdated,” Singhvi said.