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Informist, Friday, May 15, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Opposition Friday slammed the government for the hike in retail prices of petrol and diesel and accused the Narendra Modi-led dispensation of "fleecing" the public during a crisis even as it failed to pass on the benefits of cheaper crude oil to the common man.

 

Opposition leaders also alleged that the crisis was partly the Modi government's own making. "When the West Asia War began, the country was told that everything was fine, and the Congress party's questions were dismissed. No concrete steps were taken," Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X.

 

He said that during elections, the Modi government behaves as if everything is normal and the central government's job is only to fight elections in the states.

 

"Isn't it true that when international crude oil prices were low, the Modi government gave no relief to the common people, and instead earned INR 43 trillion through central taxes over 10 years? So why is the burden of inflation being imposed on the people now?" he asked.

 

The state-owned Indian Oil Corp. Friday announced an increase of INR 3 per litre in prices of petrol and diesel. Petrol now costs INR 97.77 per litre in Delhi, up from INR 94.77 per litre earlier. Diesel now costs INR 90.67 per litre in Delhi. Prices of the two fuels vary across the country depending on state levies.

 

Congress' Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Jairam Ramesh further emphasised Kharge's point. "For years when international oil prices were soft or declining, the Indian National Congress had been urging that those benefits should be passed on to Indian consumers and that domestic prices of gas, petrol, and diesel should be reduced. That, however, did not happen and consumers were fleeced."

 

Jairam Ramesh warned that the hike in fuel prices is bound to lead to "further inflation that is now projected to be close to 6% for this financial year". Growth estimates too will be lowered considerably, he added.

 

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at the government in a short note on X, "Three rupees shock has come, and more money will be extorted in intalments."  

 

Punjab Finance Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Harpal Singh Cheema said days after giving a "marginal" hike of INR 72 per quintal on minimum support price of paddy, the government has increased petrol and diesel prices by INR 3 per litre. "By giving a token MSP hike and raising diesel prices the very next day, the BJP government has effectively robbed farmers of their rightful compensation," he said in a post on X.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Sunday urged the people to cut down on the usage of petrol and diesel as India was in a tough spot due to the energy crisis in the wake of the West Asia war. The appeal drew widespread flak from Opposition parties and others, who asked Modi to first cut down on his lavish roadshows and unendingly long cavalcade.

 

All India Trinamool Congress, smarting under a crushing defeat handed out to it by the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, posted on its official social media handle, "People voted, and in return, suffering was delivered instantly. And this is only the beginning."  End

 

Reported by Asim Khan

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

 

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