NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday openly supported Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s stand on the recent hike in petrol prices, thereby distancing his party from Ms Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress.
“There is no point blaming the government for the increase in domestic prices (of fuel) as they are related to fluctuations in international markets,” Mr Pawar said in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. On the Trinamul Congress threat to withdraw from the UPA government, Mr Pawar said: “Our stand is to remain with the government.”
Asked about the Prime Minister’s comments on fuel deregulation, Mr Pawar said Dr Singh was an economist of international repute and he (Pawar) was not a “super economist” to comment on the PM’s remarks. Dr Singh, justifying the latest hike, had said there should be further deregulation of fuel prices.