Following a prod by CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose, West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta on Wednesday announced sales tax cut on petrol and diesel to "provide some relief' to the common people even as the state Government urged the Centre to reconsider the fuel price hike. As a result of the announcement, consumers in West Bengal will be paying Rs 2.09 less per litre of petrol and Rs 1.36 less for diesel than they would have following the price hike had the state not cut taxes. (According to a late evening official release, petrol will cost Rs 52.20 a litre against Rs 48.98 earlier and diesel Rs 35.81 per litre against Rs 33.96 earlier in the state, factoring in all elements. Without the tax cut, the prices would have been Rs 54.29 and Rs 37.17, respectively.) A few hours after the CPI(M)-led Left Front called a 12-hour bandh for Thursday, Dasgupta announced the cut in sales tax