The central government has collected around Rs 4 lakh crore from taxes levied on cooking gas, petrol and diesel and the ruling BJP is giving Rs 1000 crore financial assitance to states ruled by it, while West Bengal does not getting anything, Banerjee said. She said that the Bengal government has been providing a concession of Re 1 for per litre of diesel despite the financial constraints faced by it.

Banerjee's comments came on a day when BJP activists clashed with the city police when they were stopped from taking out a protest rally against the state government for not slashing taxes levied by it on petrol and diesel.

''...They (the Centre) do not give us vaccines (for Covid-19). How can you expect them to provide us financial help,'' she said at a programme organised by the state government for awarding organisers of the best Durga Pujas.

''We give a concession of Re 1 per litre of diesel. Where will we get the money? Despite the financial constraints we give such concessions ... It's natural that prices of day-to-day commodities will go up if the price of diesel goes up everyday. How will the farmers carry out their agricultural work? They (farmers) need diesel to carry out their work,'' she said.

Stating that the state holds the first position in the country in respect of MSME sector, the chief minister said ''There are several industries which have been set up and there are more which are coming up. There is only one problem - that is the prices of diesel, petrol and gas are being raised everyday''.

Banerjee, who is among the strident critics of the BJP, alleged that the common people's money is being blocked by the Centre. The manner in which disinvestment is taking place and offices of the central government organisations like SAIL, rail and coal and others are being shut down, there will be more unemployed people in the country.