New Delhi/Trivandrum, May 24 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today shrugged off the government s responsibility over the hike in petrol prices, saying that petrol was a deregulated commodity. The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI M) reacted sharply to the hike, saying that they would stage protests until the hike was rolled back. Meanwhile, markets were closed in Thiruvananthapuram as the CPI M led Left Democratic Front (LDF) called for a twelve hour strike to protest against the price hike. While local residents were critical of the price hike, they spoke against actions that threw their daily lives out of gear.