Modi govt’s fuel price hikes crushing people, says Congress

Apart from Congress, other opposition parties are also becoming vocal over the surge in fuel prices. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee drew similarities between Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and India’s fuel prices earlier this week.

The Congress, on Friday, renewed their attack on the Narendra Modi-led Central government over the surge in fuel prices that have remained unchanged for the second consecutive day, and said that the Centre is “crushing” the people of the country.

On Friday, though fuel prices remained unchanged for the second straight day, they had been on a constant rise after a four-and-half-month-long hiatus that ended on March 22, after the BJP’s victory in the assembly elections in five states. (HT FILE PHOTO.)

“Modi Sarkar’s continuity, consistency and coherence is restricted to achieving phenomenal and extraordinary heights of inflation. The BJP government is grinding and crushing the common man in the millstone of three things -- inflation, unemployment and taxation,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.

Citing an unnamed survey, Singhvi alleged that people are more scared of inflation than they are of Covid-19 and the new variant. He added that this is the reality of all “jumlas” the government feeds the people of India. He further claimed that in the last eight years, the Modi government had earned ₹26 lakh crores through the excise duty of diesel and petrol.

Responding to Congress’ claims, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “These (price rises) are administrative decisions. In the last two and a half years, Covid-19 made times tough for the nation and now of course the war with Ukraine has completely disrupted the international fuel flow chain.” He reassured, “It is not going to be long-lasting.”

Apart from Congress, other opposition parties are also becoming vocal over the surge in fuel prices. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee drew similarities between Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and India’s fuel prices and said, “Just after the elections in four states, this (hike in fuel price) is the return gift by the Modi government… the Centre is doing nothing to stop the price hike.” Taking a swipe at the Centre, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh said that by “80-20” the BJP meant that they would increase the petrol-diesel by 80 paise each for 20 continuous days.

On Friday, though fuel prices remained unchanged for the second straight day, they had been on a constant rise after a four-and-half-month-long hiatus that ended on March 22, after the BJP’s victory in the assembly elections in five states. As of Friday, petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre on Wednesday, taking the total increase in rates in 16 days to ₹10 per litre.