Resolve people's problems due to fuel price hike, Mamata tells Centre

Santiniketan (West Bengal), May 24 (AZINS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded that the Centre address the problems faced by the common man due to rising fuel prices in the country.

"We want the central government to take care of the problems faced by people due to escalating fuel prices," Banerjee told reporters here in Birbhum district.

She requested the Centre not to look at the issue of petrol and diesel price increases as a matter of politics.

"In politics, one has to keep in mind the practical scenario. Politics is not for today, but for tomorrow also," said the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Calling it a "people's issue", the Chief Minister said that every person should join the protests against the hike.

Banerjee said that during her visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday for H.D. Kumaraswamy's swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, she had requested leaders of all opposition parties present there to protest jointly on the fuel price issue.

"I requested all leaders I met that we should protest jointly. During the tea break, I spoke to Sonia ji (Congress leader Sonia Gandhi), Telugu Desam Party chief (Chandrabadu) Naidu, (Bahujan Samaj Party supremo) Mayawati, and (Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav. I told them we should take out rallies, and protest against the petrol price hike."

"I don't want to get into a quarrel with the Centre on this issue. But I feel, on issues like these which affect the people, we shouldn't do politics, but our focus should be to protect the interests of the people."

The TMC government has already chalked out a protest programme against the Centre on the issue.

Top party leaders are scheduled to hold a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday. Similar protests wil be held in the districts on Saturday and Sunday.