LPG price hike: Mithun asks why petrol, diesel costlier in Bengal compared to other states

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of charging higher taxes on fuel compared to several other States, BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty on Saturday (March 7, 2026) said that she was trying to make an issue of cooking gas price hike despite knowing the pitfalls of the war situation in West Asia.

The price of domestic cooking gas was hiked on Saturday (March 7, 2026) by a steep ₹60 per cylinder as oil companies factored in increased energy prices in view of the West Asia conflict.

Asked about the TMC supremo announcing protests by the TMC’s women’s wing owing to cooking gas price hike, the actor-politician accused her of trying to make an issue of a war situation in the oil and gas-rich West Asia, for which every country is facing problems.

Maintaining that prices of petrol and diesel may also rise owing to the war situation involving the USA, Israel, Iran and several other Gulf countries, he asked, “Why are petrol and diesel costlier in West Bengal compared to other states?” He questioned why the Mamata Banerjee dispensation was not reducing taxes levied by her government on fuel, like in several other states.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP office here, Mr. Chakraborty said that the main issue in Assembly poll-bound West Bengal is the security of people, especially women.

Accusing Ms. Banerjee of advising women not to venture out at night instead of ensuring proper security and law and order, he promised a safe and secure environment for women if the BJP wins the Assembly polls.

“BJP will ensure women’s security when it comes to power in Bengal,” he said, assuring, “everyone will be secure”.

The actor-politician alleged that there is “no pause” in criminal activities in the state, with incidents taking place every now and then.

“It is amazing that West Bengal has sharply come down the graph regarding law and order issues compared to previous times when women could freely move around even after midnight,” he said.

Maintaining that over 400-km length of porous frontier with Bangladesh in West Bengal is leading to unbridled infiltration from the neighbouring country, Chakraborty accused the TMC government in the state of not providing land for border fencing.

“Lakhs of people are travelling illegally, taking advantage of the unfenced border, who are voting for the TMC in Bengal and for the Jamaat-e-Islami on the other side,” he said.

Maintaining that “a radical transformation ” is taking place owing to illegal immigration, the BJP leader said, “We would have felt secure if the border fencing could have been completed in the state.”