Mamata Banerjee
Bengal govt will not reduce state VAT on fuel: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday called the Centre's latest move to cut fuel prices and announce subsidy on cooking gas under the Ujjwala scheme as an election stunt.
She said that only a small number of people belonging to the below poverty level (BPL) category would be eligible to avail of the benefit.
Banerjee also announced that her government will not reduce state VAT on diesel and petrol as she accused the Narendra Modi-led government of earning huge revenue from excise tax.
The West Bengal CM stated this even as other non-BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra, Kerala and Rajasthan on Sunday slashed VAT on fuel, a day after the Centre slashed excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 and diesel by Rs 6.
She slammed the Union government for using central agencies in affairs related to states and called for their autonomy to protect democracy.
“The BJP government is bulldozing federal structure of India. interfering into state's affairs using agencies. These agencies should be given autonomy,” she said at a press meet, adding the "saffron party rule is worse than that of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini."
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