Chhattisgarh CM calls fuel price hike BJP's 'first gift', Kharge says expect daily Vikas

'Ending an over four-and-a-half month hiatus, the state-owned oil companies on Tuesday increased the petrol and diesel prices by 80 paise a litre each and the domestic cooking gas LPG by ₹50 per cylinder.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said he had warned about the fuel price hike if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is voted back to power in the state elections. Baghel said that the rise in fuel and gas prices is the BJP’s gift to the people of this country for forming the government in four states.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.

“I had earlier (during the campaign for Assembly elections 2022) said that prices of petrol, diesel & LPG's domestic cylinder will rise if BJP voted to power. The rise in fuel and gas prices is the BJP's first gift to the people of the country after forming government in four states,” news agency ANI quoted the senior Congress leader as saying.

Months before the assembly elections in five states, the central government had slashed excise duty on diesel and petrol by ₹10 and ₹5 per litre, respectively.

Ending an over four-and-a-half month hiatus, the state-owned oil companies on Tuesday increased the petrol and diesel prices by 80 paise a litre each and the domestic cooking gas LPG by ₹50 per cylinder. After the revision, petrol in Delhi is now being sold at ₹96.21 per litre as against ₹95.41 previously while diesel rates have gone up from ₹86.67 per litre to ₹87.47.

In Mumbai, fuel bunks are selling petrol ₹110.82 per litre and diesel ₹95 per litre.

The rates are likely to continue to rise over the next few days as state oil firms recoup losses from keeping prices on hold for a record 137 days, reported PTI.

"Congratulations to PM Modiji for achieving his 'target' of ₹1,000 per LPG cylinder in most parts of the country. There will now be daily 'Vikas' in petrol and diesel prices as well. The only affordable things under Modi Govt are communalism & Hatred. Everything else is expensive," Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on Twitter.