Mamata takes to Kolkata streets to protest petrol hike

After slamming the Centre for the steep hike in petrol price, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday hit the streets in Kolkata, leading a massive protest march to put pressure on the United Progressive Alliance government for a roll-back.

Banerjee, who was accompanied by Railway Minister Mukul Roy, party functionaries and thousands of Trinamool Congress workers, marched from Jadavpur to Hazra crossing, a distance of five km in south Kolkata.

This was the first time that Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, hit the streets to protest the Centre's decision.

Trinamool Congress workers carried posters demanding that the hike in petrol price be rolled back.

Banerjee has expressed strong displeasure against the "unilateral and unjust decision" by the Centre and demanded its rollback as it was unacceptable.

"It is unjust, unilateral and not right. We cannot support a decision which will put a huge additional burden on the common man. It is unacceptable," she said shortly after he petrol price hike was announced on Wednesday.

Trinamool's ally Congress, meanwhile, urged the state government to consider a partial reduction in taxes on petrol in the state to provide some relief to consumers affected by the hike in price.

Attributing the petrol price hike to the steep fall in rupee and international crude price, the ally also appealed to the Centre to take suitable measures to stabilise the rupee and review the petrol price to explore the possibility of lowering it as done earlier.