The Congress yesterday ruled out withdrawing support to the United Front government over the petroleum price hike. Although it stronglyand vehemently opposed it as 'unwarranted, bad and tragic', party spokesman Ajit Jogi said his party would neither demand withdrawal of the price hike nor organise mass action on the issue.
Off the record, senior party leaders like Pranab Mukherjee and Sharad Pawar are said to have welcomed the government decision, saying it was long overdue and was sending very negative signals abroad about the Indian economy.
The party has, however, taken a concious decision to oppose the hike in order to project itself as an opposition party and to score a political point.
In Calcutta, rebel Congress MP Mamata Banerjee demanded that the Congress high command should withdraw its support to the government against the 'illegal and anti-people' decision of the government. She declared that she would organise demonstrations in Calcutta on the issue.
At the Central party headquarters, the mood was different. Not only did it refuse to rock the UF boat on the issue, it also hit out at the Left parties for opposing the price hike 'in utter disregard for the principle of collective responsibility of the Cabinet'.
When asked if Congress president Sitaram Kesri was consulted by Prime Minsiter I K Gujral on the petroleum price hike, Jogi said he was not aware of any such consultation. If some senior party leaders were consulted by UF leaders, it was long back, he added.
When reporters pointed out that Congress governments had repeatedly raised the prices of petroleum products, Jogi said the Congress' main objection was over the amount of increase and not against the hike itself.
