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Kharge slams centre over fuel price hikes
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday strongly criticised the Union government after a third increase in fuel prices within eight days, alleging that the ruling BJP was “looting” citizens through repeated hikes while failing to pass on benefits when global oil prices were lower.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), written in Hindi, Kharge claimed there was a “leadership crisis” in the government and said that while other countries were offering relief to citizens amid global economic pressures, India was witnessing continuous fuel price increases.
“Petrol has now crossed Rs 100. This is instalment-based looting of the public’s earnings,” Kharge alleged, accusing the government of imposing heavy indirect taxes on petrol and diesel. He further claimed that the Centre was collecting nearly Rs 1,000 crore daily through fuel taxes.
Kharge also argued that during periods of lower international crude oil prices, the benefits were not passed on to consumers. He said that instead of providing relief during global crises, the government had resorted to frequent price hikes.
Citing international examples, the Congress chief said countries such as Italy, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland had reduced fuel taxes or offered direct relief measures to ease the burden on citizens.
He further accused the Prime Minister of being “inactive during global crises,” while other governments implemented measures to reduce fuel prices and inflationary pressure on households.
Meanwhile, state-owned oil marketing companies increased petrol and diesel prices by 87–91 paise per litre on Saturday, marking the third revision in eight days. This follows earlier hikes of ₹3 per litre each on May 15 and around 90 paise on May 19, taking the cumulative increase to nearly ₹5 per litre within a short span.
Industry sources said the latest adjustments reflect rising international crude oil prices after a prolonged freeze in retail fuel rates. The successive hikes have raised concerns over inflationary pressures, particularly on transport and essential goods.
With fuel prices nearing or crossing the ₹100 per litre mark in several regions, the recent revisions are expected to add further pressure on household budgets and business costs across the country.
