PM called meeting to blame states for high fuel prices: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting on Wednesday was not Covid situation as announced, but blaming state governments for the high prices of petrol and diesel.

The Centre also wanted to shrug off its responsibility in reducing the prices of fuel, she claimed on Thursday and expressed apprehensions that the Modi administration would soon raise the prices again.

Banerjee demanded that the central government immediately slash the price of domestic LPG cylinders by at least Rs 300. In a virtual interaction with chief ministers on the emerging Covid-19 situation in the country, Modi had on Wednesday flagged higher fuel prices in opposition-ruled states such as Maharashtra, Kerala and West Bengal and asked the state governments to reduce VAT on them for the benefit of the common man. "I believe that there was no Covid agenda yesterday. The real agenda was to blame the state governments (for high prices of fuel). In the coming days, they are planning to hike the prices of petrol and diesel further. That is the reason they are trying to shrug off the responsibilities," Banerjee said.

The CM told reporters at the state secretariat that it is easy for the Centre not to put the extra burden on people as, she claimed, it has earned over Rs 17.31 lakh crore from taxes on petrol and diesel between 2014 and 2021. She claimed that the Centre has raised the prices of petrol and diesel at least 14 times in the past few months and held the state governments responsible for the high prices. "I believe the Centre must reduce the price of domestic gas cylinders by at least Rs 300 immediately. They also must reduce the prices of petrol and diesel," she said.

Wondering why the Centre had not reduced fuel prices when there was a drop in crude prices in the international market, Banerjee alleged that the revenue collected from taxes was used for different works of the BJP, masquerading them as government works.

Asked whether she along with the CMs of non-BJP ruled states would write to the Centre protesting against the hike in fuel prices, Banerjee said, "What's the point? They do not respond to letters."

Hours after meeting on Wednesday, Banerjee had said that her government has spent Rs 1,500 crore in the last three years to subsidise petrol and diesel prices in the state.

The CM had also said that the Centre owed the West Bengal government Rs 97,000 crore, and once half of that amount gets cleared, she would reduce the taxes.