“One-Sided & Misleading”: Mamata Banerjee Hits Back At PM Modi Over Fuel Price Remark

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged states to reduce VAT in “national interest” to benefit the common man during a virtual interaction with chief ministers, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at him, calling the interaction “one-sided and misleading”. 

Her government has spent ₹1,500 crore in the last three years to subsidise petrol and diesel prices in the state, the WB chief minister said. 

During the interaction with CMs, PM Modi flagged higher fuel prices in opposition-ruled states such as Maharashtra, Kerala and West Bengal.

Banerjee, while addressing reporters at the state secretariat, said: “Today’s interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was completely one-sided and misleading. The facts shared by him were wrong. We have been providing a subsidy of Re 1 on every litre of petrol and diesel for the last three years. We have spent ₹1,500 crore on this.”

There was no scope for the chief ministers to speak at the meeting and hence, they could not counter the prime minister’s statement, the TMC supremo claimed. 

“It would have been better had the PM not spoken on fuel price hike in a Covid-19 review meeting, it was his agenda,” she said.

Earlier, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had also hit back at PM over his remarks. 

Uddhav Thackeray said: said, “Today, in the price of one litre of diesel in Mumbai, Rs 24.38 is for the Centre and Rs 22.37 is for the state. In petrol price, 31.58 paise is central tax and 32.55 paise state tax. Therefore, it is not a fact that petrol and diesel have become more expensive due to the state.”

The Office of the Chief Minister added, “Maharashtra collects the highest GST of 15 per cent in the country. Combining both direct taxes and GST, Maharashtra is the number one state in the country.”