Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticized the Central government over the fourth increase in fuel prices in 10 days, alleging that the government is “quietly looting” the pockets of citizens.
He claimed that while fuel prices remained under control during the elections, they are now being increased in batches and will continue to rise further.
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “Modi inflation man”, Rahul Gandhi said he had earlier warned of an impending “economic storm”, but claimed that the Prime Minister remained focused on the election campaign at that time.
“Inflation man Modi strikes again. They are raising petrol and diesel prices in installments – so that your pockets continue to be quietly depleted. I have been warning for months about an economic storm coming. But Modi, as always, was busy with the elections at that time – and the moment the elections were over, petrol and diesel prices were hiked by the government. $8,” the Congress leader wrote on X.
“And this rise will continue. Modi’s inflation man’s only job is: promises during elections, and the rest of the time, attacks on the pockets of the public,” he added in his post.
Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also took aim at the government, alleging that every section of society, from farmers to small scale industries, is “bearing the brunt of BJP’s plunder of the country”.
“The daily attack on fuel looting is not over yet!” Kharge wrote in a post on X.
“Every rise in fuel prices is another blow to household budgets, and has a cascading effect on every aspect of the economy. From farmers to small, medium and micro enterprises, all strata of society are bearing the brunt of the BJP’s spoils,” Karg added.
The latest amendment comes after three consecutive increases in recent days. On May 15, petrol and diesel prices were raised by $3 per litre. This was followed by another rise on May 19 at 90 piasters per litre. On May 23, gasoline prices were raised by 87 piasters per liter, while diesel prices rose by 91 piasters per litre.
The recurring fuel price hikes come amid ongoing pressure on oil marketing companies due to rising global crude oil prices, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, and concerns about supply disruptions linked to ongoing tensions in West Asia.
Continued hikes in petrol, diesel and CNG prices are likely to further increase logistics and transportation costs, which could lead to a cascading effect on retail inflation and impact household budgets as well as commercial transportation sectors across the country.
