In a unique protest against the rising fuel prices across the country, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (February 25) rode an electric scooter in the Howrah district. But soon after starting the ride, she nearly fell from the electric scooter. However, with some help from the people around her, she managed to keep balance.
Banerjee was travelling to Kalighat from State Secretariat in Nabanna. Earlier in the day, as a mark of protest against fuel price hike, CM Banerjee rode pillion on an electric scooter to State Secretariat in Nabanna. She was sitting behind state minister Firhad Hakim, who was riding the scooter.
Helmet-clad Mamata Banerjee had a placard hanging around her neck to protest against the fuel price hike. During the seven-km-long journey from Hazra More to the state secretariat, she was seen waving at people on both sides of the road.
After reaching Nabanna following a 45-minute ride, Banerjee slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre saying, "There was demonetisation, and now fuel prices are rising. Modi government is selling everything in the country. From Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to coal everything in the country is being sold. This is an anti-people, anti-youth and anti-farmer government."
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, "We are protesting against the fuel price hike. The Modi government only makes false promises. They have done nothing to bring down fuel prices. You can see the difference in petrol prices when the Modi government came to power and now."
Speaking about her rather unique way of protesting, Banerjee said, "I rode on an e-scooter to protest the manner in which petrol, diesel and LPG prices are rising."
"A middle-class household needs two LPG cylinders a month which they can't afford now. Over 1 crore people in our state also depend on kerosene which they are not getting now," she further said while adding that her party will agitate against the fuel price rise on February 26 (Friday).
Meanwhile, several opposition party leaders termed Banerjee's protest "a publicity stunt" and called it "theatrics". Fuel prices are soaring high in the country for the past few weeks and have even crossed the Rs 100 mark in few states. Opposition parties have staged protests across the country against the rising fuel prices.
