Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday slammed the BJP-led Union Government over another round of fuel price hikes, alleging that the ruling party was "looting" the common man's earnings "in instalments."
Reacting to the latest round of price hikes, Kharge stated that when international crude oil prices dropped in the past, the financial benefits were entirely withheld from citizens by the Centre.
He also reiterated the Congress's allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been "compromised."
"Petrol has now crossed Rs 100. This time around. Looting the public's earnings in instalments! The BJP's appetite isn't satisfied even after slapping a central tax of Rs 1000 crore daily on petrol-diesel. When international prices were low, they didn't pass on the benefits to the people--instead, they looted them relentlessly. When the crisis hit, they dove headfirst into elections, and after the elections, they preached sacrifice," Kharge wrote in a post on X.
Rebutting the administration's claims that fuel prices in India remain lower than in foreign nations, Kharge provided a comparative breakdown of how international governments stepped in to protect cictizens from the economic impact of the ongoing West Asia conflict.
"When the war in West Asia broke out and PM Modi was busy feeding us Indians the "everything's fine" sedative, other countries were providing relief to their citizens. 1. Italy cut excise on fuel, giving their people some relief. 2. Australia reduced excise duty, slashing petrol prices by about ₹17 per liter for citizens. 3. Germany lowered taxes on oil, reducing fuel prices by ₹17-₹19 per liter. 4. The UK provided £100 in oil aid to households and cut taxes on fuel and electricity. 5. Ireland's EUR250 million relief package brought petrol prices down by about EUR0.15/liter and diesel by EUR0.20/liter," he wrote.
"@narendramodi ji, tell us-- Who all are getting a share of this instalment-based loot? Why are you so compromised? The real crisis in this government is one of leadership-- 140 crore Indians have now figured that out," he wrote.
Kharge's remarks came amid another hike in fuel prices, continuing the recent upward trend in petrol and diesel rates.
Petrol and diesel prices were raised by up to 91 paise per litre on Saturday, marking the third hike in less than 10 days.
In Delhi, petrol increased by 87 paise from Rs 98.64 to Rs 99.51 per litre, while diesel went up by 91 paise from Rs 91.58 to Rs 92.49.
Prices were hiked by Rs 3 a litre on May 15, followed by a 90 paise increase on May 19. In all, rates have gone up by almost Rs 5 per litre.