Petroleum minister meets Mamata

Barely an hour before the Centre's announcement of petroleum price hike, Union Minister of State for Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan today met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but avoided questions on the issue.

On being questioned repeatedly whether the fuel price hike issue came up during the meeting, Pradhan, who holds independent charge, left in a huff.

Soon after his departure, the news of further hike in petroleum prices came in from the national capital.

Dharmendra described his 80-minute long meeting with Banerjee as a 'courtesy call'.

"However, we discussed how a joint effort by the Centre and the state government can give boost to the economy of this region where Bengal plays a vital role," he said.
 

The chief minister, however, did not say anything about what transpired in the meeting.