KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said his party will intensify its protest against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for not reducing VAT on fuel and threatened to march to state secretariat 'Nabanna' with 'thousands of its supporters' in future if their demand is not fulfilled.
The Centre had on November 3 slashed excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre respectively and urged the states to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT), a revenue enjoyed by the state, on fuel to give further relief to people.
Over 20 states, mostly NDA -ruled ones, followed suit by reducing VAT on fuel, but some states, including West Bengal, have not done so.
The eastern state, instead, urged the Centre to reduce the base price of oil and restructure the Centre-state tax structure.
Majumdar told reporters during a protest rally by the BJP at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district that once the COVID-19 restrictions on the congregation of people are lifted by the government, "we will march towards 'Nabanna' with thousands of our supporters demanding immediate reduction of VAT for giving some benefit to the common man."
The rally turned unruly with the protestors squatting on the road and raising slogans against the state government when the police prevented the processionists from proceeding beyond the Baruipur flyover.
Alleging that the law enforcers were stopping a democratic movement under instructions from the ruling party, Majumdar said, "The police have become a slave of their political masters here".