Petrol prices in the country are not coming down as the states do not want to bring fuel under the ambit of the GST, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
In an interview to PTI in Kolkata, Puri said petrol prices crossed the Rs 100-mark in West Bengal as the TMC government is levying heavy taxes.
"If your question is do you want the petrol prices to come down then the answer is yes.
"Now, if your question is why the petrol prices are not coming down, then the answer is because the states don't want to bring it under GST," he said.
"The Centre charges Rs 32 per litre (as taxes on petrol). We charged Rs 32 per litre when the fuel price was $19 per barrel, and we are still charging the same even when the price rose to $75 per barrel.
"With this Rs 32 per litre, we provide free ration, free housing and Ujjawala, among several other schemes, to the people," he said.
Puri said the West Bengal government increased prices by Rs 3.51 per litre since July, resulting in the petrol crossing the century-mark.
"The combined taxation is around 40 per cent here (West Bengal).
"It is very easy to make statements. Had you (TMC government) not increased the price by Rs 3.51, then it would have been still under Rs 100 per litre," he said.
Puri was in Kolkata on Wednesday to campaign for the Bhabanipur bypoll in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the TMC candidate against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas.
