Mamata Banerjee called on Prime Minister Modi to divert crores collected as excise duty on sale of petrol and diesel to scaling up COVID-19 vaccination efforts in India. As prices of petrol across the country skyrockets by touching the 100 per litre mark, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on July 7, superintended reshuffle of his cabinet, asking him to hold a ‘petrol and vaccine ki baat’ instead of his ‘mann ki baat’.
An enraged Ms Banerjee accused the centre of pickpocketing Rs 3.71 lakh crore from the people – as revenue from taxes imposed on the sale of petrol and diesel – and then not using that money to scale up COVID-19 vaccination efforts ahead of a potentially disastrous third wave. She advised the PM to focus on health and economy, and not on cabinet reshuffles.
The Chief Minister told reporters in Kolkata, “When Modi government has earned Rs 3.71 lakh crore from taxes on fuel… where is the money? He does only ‘mann ki baat’. Why doesn’t he talk about petrol and diesel? He only sits and talks and humiliates Mamata Banerjee”.
