Mamata government reduces fuel tax by Re 1 per litre
Kolkata, Sep 11: Urging the Centre to reduce the cess on fuel prices, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that her government has decided to reduce the tax on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre.
"We demand the Central government to reduce the cess on petrol and diesel. The price of crude oil has gone down, but they are increasing the prices and cess. Both cannot happen simultaneously. The state government does not get any percentage from the cess.
"In this situation, our government has decided to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel by one rupee per litre," she said at the state Secretariat Nabanna.
She also said mismanagement is going on.
The cess imposed by Central government has been increased and no attempts are being made to bring stability in the fuel prices, Banerjee alleged.
"In January, 2016 the petrol price was Rs 65.12 a litre and in September 2018 the price has risen to Rs 81.5 per litre. So the petrol price has gone up by Rs 16.48 per litre. Diesel price was Rs 48.80 a litre in 2016 ,now it has risen to Rs 73.26 per litre, which is a hike of Rs 24.46," Banerjee said.
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Notices seeking CEC's removal refer to Rahul's dissent note, incidents of voter-list manipulation
New Delhi (PTI): Notices seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar flag issues ranging from the appointment process to his public attack on Rahul Gandhi and instances of alleged manipulation of votes in recent elections, an opposition leader said on Monday.
The notices, submitted in both Houses of Parliament on Friday, seek a motion for Kumar's removal from the CEC's post, as opposition MPs have cried foul over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and raised concerns over the alleged manipulation of voters' lists on multiple occasions.
The process to remove the CEC is similar to that for the removal of a Supreme Court or high court judge, meaning an impeachment can be effected only on the ground of "proven misbehaviour or incapacity".
According to the opposition leader, the around-10-page-long notices refer to a dissent note submitted by Gandhi in February 2025, when Kumar was picked for the post. Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, is a member of the panel that appoints the CEC, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
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In his dissent note, the LoP had said, "It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours."
The notices also mention the CEC's public ultimatum to Gandhi from a press conference in August 2025. Amid allegations of "vote theft" by the opposition, a combative Kumar had asked the LoP to either apologise or back his claims with a signed affidavit, as required under electoral rules.
The notices also refer to allegations of manipulations in the voters' list raised by opposition parties in Karnataka's Aland and Mahadevapura.
The notices have been signed by around 130 members in the Lok Sabha and 60 in the Rajya Sabha. The signatories include leaders of the INDIA bloc parties, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and some independent MPs.
According to sources, the notices list seven charges against Kumar, including "partisan and discriminatory conduct in office", "deliberate obstruction of investigation of electoral fraud" and "mass disenfranchisement".
The opposition parties have accused the CEC of aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on several occasions, especially with the SIR exercise, which they have alleged aims at helping the ruling party at the Centre.
If the motion is admitted in both Houses, a committee will be constituted jointly by the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman.
The committee will consist of the chief justice of India (CJI) or a Supreme Court judge, the chief justice of one of the 25 high courts and a "distinguished jurist".
The proceedings of the committee are like any court proceedings where witnesses and the accused are cross-examined.
The CEC, too, will get a chance to speak before the panel.
According to rules, once the committee submits its report, it will be tabled in the House and discussions will commence for impeachment.
A motion to remove a judge or, in this case, the CEC, will have to be passed by both Houses.
When the House discusses the motion, Kumar will have the right to defend himself standing at the entrance of the House chamber.
