New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS): Taking a new line on the petrol price hike issue, the Congress Saturday asked the government to seriously consider providing relief to the common man.

The price of petrol was hiked by Rs.1.80 a litre, effective Friday.

"The party is concerned about price rise. All possible steps required to give relief to people should be taken by the government," Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here.

The party's reaction came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday told reporters in Cannes in French Riviera that "the government must move in the direction of decontrolling more and more prices".

He returned Saturday after attending the two-day G20 summit at Cannes.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Kolkata the decision to hike petrol prices was not of the government but of the petroleum companies.

Dwivedi said: "Any policy, which does not give the desired result or is not good for the people, can be revisited."

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi earlier assured that the party would address United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners' concerns on the petrol price hike and explain the issue to them.

"The concerns of the allies would be addressed when the government meets them. Nobody should speculate before ... that meeting takes place," said Singhvi.

"Allies will sit together and some constructive solution will emerge."

Singhvi said that "the party expected the government to be sensitive on the hike and give some relief to people ... and it is for the government to decide on the issue".

"The government is also not happy with the hike but the issue has to be understood in the right perspective," said Singhvi, ruling out any demand to roll back the prices.

The Trinamool Congress, the biggest constituent in the UPA after the Congress, was furious. Its MPs said they wanted to quit the government but party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not take any action without meeting the prime minister.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left also spewed fire, the strong reaction of the Trinamool stunned the Congress.

The other allies -- the Nationalist Congress Party, the DMK and the National Conference -- were more subdued but also critical.