In a latest jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said promises of “achhe din” and “sachhe din” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government were nothing but a load of hot air.
“Forget the promise of achhe din, forget about sachhe din, they have all gone for a toss,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Hitting out at the saffron party-led ruling dispensation at the Centre, Banerjee said it is “plotting to sell stakes of SAIL (Steel Authority of India)” amid the continuous surge in petrol and diesel prices across the country. “Several PSUs (public sector undertakings), which are our national assets, are up for sale. Can they run a country this way?” she said at an inaugural event of a Kali Puja pandal in Kolkata.
The chief minister further said the BJP is not bothered about replying to the letters sent on such issues, and 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,” Banerjee added.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” Banerjee added.
{{/usCountry}}The TMC supremo said fuel rates have a “direct bearing” on the prices of essential items, adding that the people of Bengal are not interested in the BJP’s “divisive agenda” but knowing when the surge in oil prices would be rolled back.
Later, Leader of opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said Banerjee should first “withdraw the taxes her government has imposed on oil” and only then she has the “right to speak anything” against the central government.
Fuel prices witnessed a hike for the sixth consecutive day, following a two-day pause, on Monday. This has led to petrol prices in Kolkata surpass the ₹110 per litre mark.
At present, petrol costs ₹110.15 per litre in Kolkata, while an equal amount of diesel costs ₹101.56.
Fuel prices in Kolkata is one of the highest among the metros, even more than Delhi where a litre of petrol costs ₹109.69 and diesel ₹98.42 per litre.