The meeting of the Congress Core Group came a day after a meeting of the party's Working Committee which saw the Prime Minister assuring that all steps would be taken to ensure that the burden on people with regard to fuel prices was minimum. HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who is also a member of the core group, had told the CWC meeting that inflation cannot be wished away.
After the CWC meet, party leaders had spoken of a collective decision by the UPA on the hike in prices of petroleum products and dismissed suggestions that the allies were not being consulted.
They had, however, steered clear of suggestions that the decision could take a week in view of the consultation process.
The Left parties, key outside supporters of the Congress-led government, have been opposing any hike in fuel prices and instead demanding restructure of excise and customs duty regime on crude oil and petrol products.
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With a series of assembly elections on the cards, leaders in the Congress as also the UPA have been pleading for a minimum burden on the common man. The government is in a tricky situation as oil firms are faced with a Rs 225,000 crore revenue loss because of spike in international crude prices.