News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • Politics is ‘business’ of doing some good for people: Leander Paes

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Tennis superstar and Trinamool Congress member Leander Paes on Thursday said he joined politics with an aim to make a difference in the lives of people.

    Paes was talking to reporters during a visit to the Velim assembly constituency in South Goa.

    “I am sure people are wondering why I have come into politics. For me, it is the business of doing some good for the people,” said the 48-year-old Olympian.

    Paes joined the TMC here in the presence of party chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her trip to Goa last month.

    Banerjee visited the BJP-ruled coastal state ahead of next year’s assembly polls.

    “I have conducted my professional tennis career in a certain professionalism in a certain manner, in a certain patriotism. For me, as I have done patriotism using tennis as a vehicle, I would like to use this business of politics to make difference to the people,” he said.

    The Indian tennis legend said he calls politics a “business” because there is a lot of database, knowledge and involvement of professional teams in political activities.

    “Also, at the helm we have got a lady (Banerjee) who is the captain of the team,” he said.

    Paes said Banerjee has given him an opportunity to do good for the people and “that is something I am really grateful for”.

    “I believe in her because she is a champion. I know her since I was 8 years old, she has helped me a lot in my teens, when I needed to travel abroad and did not have sponsorship and foreign exchange at that time,” he said.

    The tennis veteran described the Bengal CM as a “doer”.

    “When she says something she will do it. In my (political) journey it is about giving back to the people,” he said.

  • Governor asks Mamata government to bring white paper on investments attracted through business summit

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday called upon the Mamata Banerjee government to come out with a white paper on Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) with details of investments attracted by the state through those programmes.

    Expressing concern at the alleged lack of response from the then state finance minister on the information sought by him over a year ago on the actual investments that West Bengal has received as a result of five editions of BGBS, the governor alleged that ground reality belies the claims of their “resounding success”.

    The state government is preparing to hold another edition of BGBS in April 2022, after a hiatus of two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Call upon @MamataOfficial to come out with a WHITE PAPER #BGBS so that information is available in transparent and accountable manner,” Dhankhar tweeted.

    Asserting that the rule of law, respect for human rights and democratic values are imperative for investments, Dhankhar said much needs to be done on these fronts.

    “It is our obligation that we subscribe to sanctity of facts and not dictate actions by mere optics of advertisements and statements,” he said in the Twitter post.

    Dhankhar was requested by the West Bengal government to promote the state as an industrial destination and he has also agreed to travel overseas for the purpose, a senior official said on Monday.

    The Mamata Banerjee administration has been organising BGBS since 2015 to attract investments to the state.

    In a letter to the chief minister in August last year, the governor said he had sought information on the five editions of the BGBS first from the departmental secretary and then from the finance minister but did not get it.

    “Surely, their stance is far distanced from transparency in government and also not in consonance with your recent assertion that ‘Our government works with complete transparency and there are financial clearances and regular audit’,” he wrote in the letter dated August 25, 2020.

    Dhankhar wrote that he had sought details of investments and jobs created in the state owing to the investment proposals and those claimed to be under implementation.

    The then finance minister Amit Mitra had claimed that the state had received proposals worth over Rs 12.32 lakh crore at the business summits between 2015 and 2019 and had generated 28 lakh jobs.

    The chief minister had said in the Assembly last year that 50 per cent of the investment proposals that were received in the five editions of BGBS are already in the process of implementation.

    Opposition parties had also demanded publication of a white paper on the actual investment that came from the summit.

    The last business summit was held in February 2019.

    During that edition, Banerjee had announced that it would be a biennial affair.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday came down heavily on the BJP for “being busy in pinching” the TMC government and running down its acheivements but failing to get a single rupee allocated to the state.

    She said the common man in the state are being forced by BJP to face extreme hardship by the fuel price spiral which has turned its “achhe din promise to bure din”.

    “Some people (in BJP) are busy in piching the TMC government and running down its acheivements from morning to evening. But they fail to get a single rupee allocated to the state from Delhi. They do not have the power to help the people of the state. All they know is to be on the attack mode against us, to find fault with us,” said Banerjee while inaugurating a Jagaddhatri Puja in Posta area of city which is the hub of wholesale business.

    “Such attacks did not happen in the past when constitutional posts used to be respected and none would speak against each other in this way. I know how it was in the past having being an MP for several terms,” she said.

    Continuing her tirade against the BJP-led government at the Centre, she said it has put the common man in dire straits by demonitisation five years ago and now the fuel price hike, which fetched it Rs 4 lakh crore.

    “It has hurt the aam admi hard. The achhe din promise by Narendra Modi has turned out to be bure din,” she added.

    The chief minister urged the traders to make minimum profit from the sale of essentials and vegetables for one year in the interest of the general public.

    “Please don’t charge too much price for vegetables. I know you are all hard hit by the fuel price spiral, but still try to ensure that vegetable prices is contained as much as possible,” she told Posta Merchants Association, the organisers of the puja.

    The chief minister iterated her government plans to organize business meets, music meets, film festival and support other festivals and fairs in the coming months.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accuses Governor of creating rift between Speaker, his deputy

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Targeting West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar without naming him, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday nobody should try to create a rift between the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, calling such an attempt “unacceptable and unfair”.

    Her comments came in the backdrop of the recent controversy over Dhankhar asking Deputy Speaker Ashis Banerjee, instead of Speaker Biman Banerjee, to administer the oath to the four newly elected TMC MLAs.

    Banerjee said that everybody should respect the Speaker’s chair and not undermine it. “I don’t want to name anyone but no one should try to demean the Speaker’s chair. The Speaker’s chair is the biggest constitutional post in the assembly. If someone tries to create a rift between the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, then it is unacceptable and unfair,” she told the state assembly.

    After Dhankhar authorised the Deputy Speaker, Parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee wrote to the governor requesting him to allow Speaker Biman Banerjee to administer the oath. Dhankhar agreed and Biman Banerjee administered the oath to Subrata Mandal, Braj Kishore Goswami, Udayan Guha and state minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Tuesday.

    “The attitude that I alone will do everything and others will sit idle is not right. We need to change this attitude,” the TMC supremo said.

  • Centre should distribute Rs 4 lakh crore raised from hiked oil prices among states: Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Claiming that the Centre has raised Rs 4 lakh crore in the recent times from increased fuel prices, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded that the money be equally distributed among the states.

    Banerjee, during an Assembly session, alleged that the Union government has slashed excise duty recently on petrol and diesel, with an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections in five states.

    “The central government has collected around Rs 4 lakh crore from the taxes levied from selling cooking gas, petrol and diesel at increased prices. Now, they (BJP) want the states to reduce the VAT. Where will the states get their money from? The Centre should distribute that Rs 4 lakh crore equally among the states,” she said while addressing the West Bengal assembly.

    The CM further said that the state has been providing several subsidies despite financial constraints.

    “Whenever elections are near, they (Centre) bring down the prices. Once that is over, they increase it again. Those lecturing us on oil prices should first answer where the state government will get its money from. The Union government does give us our due funds,” she said, targeting the BJP, which has threatemend to launch a “movement” if the VAT on oil is not reduced.

    Banerjee also accused the central government of meting out a step-motherly treatment to Bengal during distribution of vaccines among states. “The number of vaccines doled out to us was much less compared to states such as Uttar Pradesh. We have ensured that not a single vaccine dose gets wasted,” she said.

  • Unhappy with food app, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee seeks ‘help’ from Modi, Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee on Saturday took to Twitter to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the “necessary” issue of non-delivery of items by online food aggregator Swiggy, and said talks should be initiated in the matter.

    In an open letter, Chatterjee vented out his grievance, stating that “the status of the order changed to delivered” without him having received any food item.

    The National Award-winning actor, however, clarified that money was refunded to his account.

    His tweet instantly triggered a mixed bag of reactions, with some mocking him for the open letter, and others coming out in support.

    A few account-holders quipped that it was an “international” issue that calls for attention.

    Chatterjee, in his letter, said, “What if someone relies on a food app to get food delivered for their guests and their food never arrives? What is someone is depending on these food apps for their dinner? Will they stay hungry? Thus I felt it was necessary to talk about it.”

    The 59-year-old superstar, when contacted, said he held no personal grudge against these aggregators, but “there should be some accountability”.

    “I wrote to the PM and the CM as I believe such services should be handled responsibly. If the elderly or those ill have to keep waiting for food after ordering items online. If the food doesn’t arrive, imagine their plight.

    Garments can be delivered late among other non-essentials, but the same does not apply for food,” he told PTI.

    Asked if he has something to say to those who trolled him over thr post, Chatterjee said that he wanted to raise the issue as a common citizen and not a celebrity.

    “I am still using Swiggy and other delivery apps. I think they have been of great help to people. But my tweet focuses on a pertinent issue,” he added.

    Swiggy authorities declined to comment on the matter.

  • ‘Won’t be able to see his body’: Emotional Didi skips last journey of mentor Subrata

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not present at the funeral and last journey to crematorium of Subrata Mukherjee, her political mentor and senior most minister of her cabinet who passed away last night after suffering a cardiac arrest, on Friday.

    She skipped the event saying she would not be able to tolerate the pain of seeing his body.

    Mukherjee, 75, breathed his last at the SSKM Hospital. He underwent angioplasty early this week. 

    “I still can’t believe that he is no longer with us. He was such a dedicated party worker. It is a personal loss for me,’’ said Mamata.

    Mukherjee’s body was taken to West Bengal Assembly where governor Jagdeep Dhankhar paid his homage.

    From there, the body was taken to his Ballygunge residence and Ekdalia Evergreen club before keeping at Rabindra Sadan for the public to pay their last respects.

    Mukherjee, who was also the former mayor of Kolkata, was the minister for panchayat affairs in the current cabinet.

    The panchayat minister was given the gun salute at the Keoratola crematorium in the southern part of the city.

    The state government declared seven-day mourning following the death of the ailing 75-year-old minister following a massive cardiac arrest at a state-run hospital on Thursday night.

    Senior Trinamool Congress leaders Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas, the Congress’ Abdul Mannan and Pradip Bhattacharya, as well as Dilip Ghosh and Rahul Sinha of the BJP paid tributes to Mukherjee.

    CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra and party spokesperson Sujan Chakraborty also paid their last respects to Mukherjee.

    “I have grown up seeing Subrata-da. He was my childhood hero. There were numerous instances when I approached him for advice and he always guided me. I have lost my big brother,” Hakim told PTI.

    Ghosh, vice-president of the BJP, said, “His contribution to Bengal politics will never be forgotten. He was the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of Bengal politics. This is a big loss for all of us.”

    In his condolence message, industrialist Sanjiv Goenka said, “In Subrata Mukherjee, we have lost a very good and a very capable leader. At a personal level, I had known him for over 35 years. It’s a very deep personal loss.”

    Thousands of admirers and supporters of the veteran politician assembled at Rabindra Sadan to pay homage to their beloved leader.

    Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikary and other MLAs paid their last respect to Mukherjee at the assembly when Mukherjee’s mortal remains were taken there.

    The body was then taken to his Ballygunge residence and later to the ‘Ekdalia Evergreen’ club where he has been playing a pivotal role in organising one of the most popular Durga Pujas of the city.

    Thousands of party workers and common people took out a procession from Ballygunge area and escorted the hearse to the crematorium.

    Mukherjee, who was hospitalised on October 24 following breathing problems, underwent angioplasty and two stents were inserted inside his blocked arteries on November 1.

    He died at 9.22 pm on Thursday.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Trouble for Congress? Bypoll results indicate regional parties’ dominance

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The bypoll results may have been a face saver for the Congress but the party was not even in runner-up position in seats with multi-corner contest in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and other northeast states, reflecting its weakening hold in states with strong regional players and need for a united front to defeat the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha election.

    The opposition parties are of the view that if they join hands in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress should contest against the saffron party on seats where it is in direct fight and let the regional players contest more seats in states where they have a bigger base.   

    The Trinamool Congress that swept the by-election in West Bengal was quick to offer an olive branch to the grand old party after leaders from both parties were engaged in a war of words after the TMC said that it couldn’t rely on the Congress for 2024 battle against the BJP.

    The Congress has questioned the TMC’s intention to contest upcoming Goa Assembly elections.        

    “The mindset has to change — We are equal partners in the opposition. Let’s work together on this, rather than talk down to us. There is no need to fight. Our single goal is to defeat the BJP,” said TMC leader Derek O’Brien.

    A senior Congress leader said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee knows that a united front is not possible without the Congress as the latter is in direct fight with the BJP on 200-230 Lok Sabha seats.

    The slow progress to make a united front is bothering several opposition leaders and this was also pointed out by the TMC when it said that it had waited for months to get a response from the Congress to work on a united front and later decided to expand its footprints in other states.  

    ALSO READ | Bengal bypolls drain BJP of previous gains, ‘chastened’ CPM less damaged

    “There is no progress so far in formation of a united opposition front but for a few meetings that happened during the parliament session. We need to plan things at the earliest to take on the BJP, else things will be out of control and 2024 would also slip out of our hands,” said an opposition leader, citing Bihar bypoll results where JD (U) won on both seats.

    He said the results could have been different if the RJD and Congress had put up a joint candidate.

    Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora on Wednesday said there is an urgent need for the Congress to do a serious and meaningful introspection in the wake of party’s “devastating defeat” in the assembly bypolls in Assam.

    Bora also said he has information that a large number of Congress leaders in Assam were contemplating to leave the party and to join the BJP or the TMC.

    “It has become very urgent for the Congress to carry out a serious and meaningful introspection of the results of the by-elections in Assam,” he told reporters here.

    In the assembly by-polls held in five constituencies in Assam, the Congress failed to win even a single seat while the BJP won in three and the remaining two were won by the saffron party’s ally UPPL.

    Among the three seats the BJP won, two were held by Congress leaders — Sushanta Borgohain and Rupjyoti Kurmi — who had deserted the party and joined the BJP.

    Both were nominated by the BJP and won the by-elections.

    Bora said the analysis of the results of the by-elections showed that it is “very surprising and devastating defeat” for the Congress party.

    ALSO READ | Bypoll take aways: BJP CMs in focus after MP victory, Himachal rout

    The MP said the results of the bypolls generally goes in favour of the ruling party and this happened in the by-polls held in six assembly seats in 2016, 2017 and 2019 during his tenure as President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.

    During that time, however, the Congress had been able to increase the vote in the by-elections compared to the previous general elections, he said.

    Even in the bypolls to the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat held in 2016, the Congress could increase the votes in comparison to the 2014 general elections.

    “The result of this by-elections has seriously demoralised the rank and file of the party. Such huge decrease of the Congress votes within the gap of six months is very unfortunate,” he said.

    The MP also said that in two assembly constituencies — Thowra and Mariani — there is no record of such “dismal performance” by the Congress in the electoral history of the party in Assam.

    (With PTI Inputs)    

  • Mamata demolishes BJP in Bengal; Himanta, Nitish and NDA allies salvage reputation elsewhere 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA/GUWAHATI: The TMC and the BJP-led NDA swept the assembly bypolls in West Bengal and Assam, steamrollering the Opposition that crumbled before the ruling parties powered by redoubtable Mamata Banerjee and Himanta Biswa Sarma.

    Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress got a ringing endorsement by the electors as it won all the four seats, including two that it wrested from the BJP, which surrendered rather meekly after a creditable performance in the March-April assembly elections when it won 77 of the 292 seats where polling was held.

    TMC candidates not only polled more than one lakh votes each in Dinhata, Gosaba, Khardaha and Santipur, but also the party’s vote share stood at a staggering 75.02 per cent against BJP’s measly 14.48 per cent.

    Udayan Guha, who wrested Dinhata seat vacated by Union Minister of State for Home, Sports and Youth Affairs Nisith Pramanik by a margin of over 1.64 lakh votes, polled 84 per cent votes against his BJP rival Ashok Mondal’s 11.31 per cent.

    TMC’s Subrata Mondal trounced his BJP rival Palash Rana by over 1.43 lakh votes in Gosaba, clinching 87.19 per cent votes against a paltry 9.95 per cent polled by the saffron party candidate.

    TMC’s Braja Kishor Goswami wrested Santipur from the BJP, defeating Niranjan Biswas by 64,675 votes.

    Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, a Mamata Banerjee confidante who had vacated the Bhabanipur seat for her to contest in a by-poll earlier, won from Khardaha defeating his BJP rival Joy Sinha by 93,832 votes.

    The TMC’s triumph not only added more insult to injury the BJP faced in the general election but also buttressed Banerjeee’s already strong claim to lead a broadbased anti-BJP opposition alliance, if at all it is formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    “My heartiest congratulations to all the four winning candidates! This victory is people’s victory, as it shows how Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics. With people’s blessings, we promise to continue taking Bengal to greater heights!” Mamata Banerjee said in a twitter post.

    Taking a dig at BJP’s defeat, her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee tweeted, “A cracker free Diwali in true sense. Wishing folks at @BJP4India a very Happy Diwali!” West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar blamed the defeat on the “reign of terror” unleashed by the TMC.

    “Margin of more than one lakh in by-polls is unimaginable. We can very well understand the kind of terror that was unleashed by the ruling party to stop people from voting freely and fairly,” he said.

    The resounding victory is expected to add more lusture to Banerjee’s personal charisma and public appeal as the TMC tries to expand beyond West Bengal to new territories like Goa and Tripura in the run up to the 2024 parliamentary elections.

    Though Banerjee struck a heavy blow to the BJP in West Bengal, a charismatic Himanta Biswa Sarma led the NDA to a power-packed performance in neighbouring Assam, clinching all the five seats along with its ally UPPL.

    The BJP won Bhabanipur, Mariani and Thowra seats, while the UPPL bagged Gossaigaon and Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial region.

    All NDA candidates won with impressive margins.

    The BJP had fielded Phanidhar Talukdar, who had left the AIUDF after getting elected to the assembly in the general election, from Bhabanipur and Congress defectors Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain from Mariani and Thowra.

    In a reflection of the uncanny political sense of Sarma, who has emerged as the BJP’s pointsman for the entire northeast, all the three won.

    The BJP and ally UPPL bagged around 54 per cent of votes polled.

    “Today’s victory is both humbling & reassuring and we promise to continue path of Vikas as per vision of Hon PM Sri @narendramodi. My gratitude to people & our karyakarta. @TheUPPLOfficial is NDA’s valued partner & the win today highlights enormous faith of people in vision of Hon PM @narendramodi who is resolute in his commitment to take Assam to glorious heights,” Sarma wrote in a series of tweets.

    Barring its abject defeat in West Bengal, the BJP and its allies were on song elsewhere in the east and the northeast where bypolls were held on October 30.

    In Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) was locked in a prestige fight with Lalu Prasad’s RJD, the ruling party retained both the seats.

    It won Kusheshwar Asthan by a margin of over 12,000 votes and bagged Tarapur by more than 3,000 votes after a see-saw that lasted till the dying moments of counting.

    The National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance won all the three seats in the state.

    The NPP of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, a BJP ally, wrested Rajbala and Mawryngkneng seats from the Congress, while its alliance partner in MDA government United Democratic Party won Mawphlang.

    The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), also an NDA partner, won the bypoll to the Tuirial assembly seat in Mizoram, wresting it from the opposition Zoram People’s Front.

  • TMC clean sweeps bypoll with 4-0 win, Mamata Banerjee says Bengal chooses development over hate politics

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday won all four by-elections held last Saturday, according to updates by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

    The TMC roller-coasted to victory in Dinhata assembly seat which its Minister of State for Home Nishith Paramanik had won earlier this year, by a record margin of 1,64,089 votes in assembly by-elections held last Saturday.

    The ruling party also retained the Khardah assembly segment by winning the seat by an impressive margin of 93,832 votes.

    West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee quickly congratulated her party candidates for the “victory”.

    “My heartiest congratulations to all the four winning candidates! This victory is people’s victory, as it shows how Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics.

    “With people’s blessings, we promise to continue taking Bengal to greater heights!” she said in a twitter post.

    The Trinamool Congress candidate Subrata Mondal Tuesday won the Gosaba assembly by-poll by a massive margin of 1,43,051 votes.

    TMC’s Subrata Mondal secured 1,61,474 votes, whereas BJP’s Palash Rana, his nearest rival, garnered a mere 18,428 votes.

    In the Dinhata assembly seat in Coochbehar, TMC’s Udayan Guha secured votes 1,14,086 votes, whereas BJP’s Palash Rana, the nearest rival, garnered mere 20,254 votes.

    The bypoll for the Dinhata assembly segment was necessitated after central minister Nisith Pramanik who had won the seat by a slender margin of just 57 votes resigned to retain his Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat.

    In the Khardah assembly segment, state minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay defeated his nearest rival the BJP’s Joy Saha by a margin of 93,832 votes.

    Chattopadhyay secured 1,14,086 votes, whereas Saha managed to bag 20,254 votes.

    The bypoll to this assembly segment was necessitated following the death of the sitting TMC MLA.

    In Santipur assembly constituency, famous for its handloom industry which had turned into a BJP citadel in the assembly elections held earlier this year, TMC’s Braja Kishore Goswami led over his nearest rival – BJP’s Niranjan Biswas – by a margin of 41,364 votes.

    Goswami bagged 77,555 votes, whereas Biswas bagged 36,191 votes after the twelfth round.

    Officials said that besides imposing section 144 on a 100-metre radius of counting venues, there is a tight three-tier security layer around them.

  • ‘Acche Din’ promise nothing but load of hot air, BJP only cares about winning polls: Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday renewed her attack on the Narendra Modi government for its alleged anti-people policies and claimed that the promises of “achhe din” and “sachhe din” are nothing but a load of hot air.

    Banerjee said the saffron camp, which is only bothered about winning elections, has maintained a studied silence on the issue of fuel price rise.

    “Forget the promise of Achhe Din; forget about Sachhe din; they have all gone for a toss. While diesel, petrol and LPG prices have skyrocketed, they are also plotting to sell the stakes of SAIL. Several PSUs, which are our national assets, are up for sale. Can they run a country this way?” she stated, after inaugurating a Kali puja pandal in the city.

    Alleging that none of the functionaries of the BJP-led central government are bothered about replying to the letters sent on these issues, the CM said the party is “only concerned about winning elections”.

    “During elections, they come to the state in hundreds, spend thousands of crores. When the people of Bengal reject them, they forget to address their economic issues,” she said.

    Asserting that the population in Bengal has always disapproved politics of religion and hatred, Banerjee said, “People don’t want to hear your anything about divisive agenda; they want to know when the hike in fuel prices will be rolled back. The rise in fuel rates has a direct bearing on prices of essentials.”

    Reacting to Banerjee’s allegations, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said her government should first waive the tax it charges on fuel.

    “She should first withdraw the taxes her government has imposed on oil. Only then she has the right to speak anything against the Centre,” Adhikari added.