Trinamool Congress protests petrol price hike

KOLKATA: The petrol price hike tonight evoked sharp protest from Trinamool Congress, the second largest constituent in the UPA government, which alleged it was not consulted.

"Trinamool Congress, despite being a partner of the UPA government, was not consulted at all before such a decision was taken. I have expressed our party's unhappiness to Pranab Mukherjee," Trinamool Congress' general secretary Mukul Roy told reporters here.

"We have registered our unhappiness over this decision," Roy, who is also the Union minister of state for Shipping, said.

Stating that there was a petrol price hike three months ago, he said, "this type of price increase always hits the common man."

It is the second hike in four months. Oil companies had last hiked petrol price by Rs 5 per litre on May 15.