Ahead of the widely anticipated West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has made a bold prediction, stating that the Bhartiya Janta Party will immediately raise LPG prices the day after the electoral contest is over.
The de-facto number 2 in the Mamta Banerjee led TMC on Friday claimed that the Centre is intentionally holding back price revisions to avoid electoral backlash.
Addressing an election campaign for the TMC candidate in Binpur assembly constituency in Jhargram district, Birbaha Hansda, Banerjee also accused the Narendra Modi government of not taking the necessary steps to address the aggravating fuel crisis in West Bengal.
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Dare for PM Modi
Banerjee alleged that on April 30, the day after the polls close, the BJP-led government is likely to hike domestic LPG prices to ₹2,000 per cylinder and petrol/diesel to ₹200 per litre.
He noted that since 2014, the price of a cooking gas cylinder has already climbed from ₹400 to over ₹1,000, accusing the Modi government of being “unconcerned about the plight of the common man.”
“I dare PM Modi and his ministers to make a formal pledge at their rallies that there will be no hike in LPG, petrol, or diesel prices for the next five years. Rest assured, they will not make any such promise,” Banerjee told the crowd.
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Charging the Modi government with taking anti-people steps which caused undue harassment to lakhs of citizens, he said, “The BJP forced people to stand for hours in queues before LPG agencies, before banks during demonetisation and in SIR camps.”
Welfare vs Political Vendetta
Addressing a relatively large gathering, Banerjee that the BJP government has been withholding Rs 1 lakh crore for West Bengal for political vendetta, he asserted that despite that, the TMC administration managed to run the housing, piped drinking water, and 100-day work projects with its own resources.
“Once we return to power, the target to supply piped drinking water for every household will be met. An old-age pension will be given to every elderly citizen in six months. Unlike the BJP, we never fail to deliver,” he said.
Banerjee came down heavily on the BJP for allegedly spreading rumours that the women’s financial assistance scheme ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ will be stopped by the Mamata Banerjee government if the TMC returns to power for the fourth term. |
