Will protest petro price hike, but not topple govt: Mamata Banerjee

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said she would remain vocal against the rise in prices of petroleum products, but do nothing to topple the Congress-led UPA government.

"We will explore all channels in a democratic way to register our protest, but I will do nothing that will lead to toppling of the Central government," Banerjee told reporters here, while slamming the 'Bharat bandh' called by Left and other opposition parties on the issue.

"I personally told the Centre that the fuel price rise is unjust and should be rolled back as the prices of essential commodities will further increase," she said.

"I can understand that the price of petrol increases when it rises in the international market, but the Centre has done injustice by increasing the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas," Banerjee said.

Attacking the CPI(M), she said, "I fail to understand the moral right of the CPI(M) to call a bandh, when in West Bengal the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas are much higher because of cess levied by the state government."

She claimed that if the cess was removed by the state government, the prices of diesel and cooking gas would fall by Rs 30. "I suggest that the CPI(M)-led LF government remove the cess instead of calling a bandh."

Assailing the Left Front government for calling bandhs frequently, Banerjee said, "they have ruined the state's economy. The debt burden of the state touches Rs2 lakh crore. What right does the CPI(M) have to call a bandh which will only damage the state's economy?"

Banerjee said the CPI(M), while supporting the first UPA government, did nothing to protest the fuel price hike.

She pointed out that her party had not called a bandh in the last one year so that people were not inconvenienced and said, "except for for some spontaneous instances, we will not call bandhs."