Mamata demands rollback of diesel price hike

Allies and opposition parties on Thursday attacked the government over the hike in diesel prices, saying it will further hit the common man and demanded an immediate rollback.

The second-largest constituent of the UPA-- Trinamool Congress, strongly opposed the increase in diesel prices.

"We are unhappy. We will not accept it and demand its rollback," West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee said.

"We were not consulted for this," Railway Minister Mukul Roy, another TMC leader, said from Kolkata.

TMC's reaction came after the government decided to hike diesel prices by Rs 5 per litre effective midnight tonight.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, this evening decided to raise diesel prices by Rs 5 per litre, excluding VAT (value-added tax).