CHANDIGARH: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema criticised PM Modi over the latest hike in retail fuel prices. He said it was time for PM Modi to stop distributing toffees, referring to the 'Melody toffee' gifted by the PM to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Singh asked PM Modi to focus on domestic issues and revive the country’s sagging economy.
Cheema said that the common man was being crushed under the burden of inflation. Targeting the BJP-led NDA government, Cheema alleged that the ruling party was anti-farmer, anti-trader and anti-small businessmen.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being indifferent to the hardships faced by people due to the continuous rise in fuel prices.
"In just ten days, between May 15 and May 25, petrol and diesel prices have risen by Rs 8.06 per litre and Rs 8 per litre, respectively. In the past month, LPG prices have increased by 48-75 per cent, while Aviation Turbine Fuel prices have gone up by 25 per cent," he said.
"The BJP Government seems to have zero concern for struggling households. While many countries are providing relief and shielding citizens from global fuel shocks, people in India are being left to fend for themselves. Is this the ‘Amrit Kaal’ promised to the people?” Cheema asked.
He accused the BJP-led Centre of failing in economic management.
"Rupee is inching towards 100, petrol prices are increasing, gold duty has been hiked to 15 per cent, and to top it all, the Union Government has committed to importing US goods that could make Indian agriculture incompetent and severely hit farmers’ incomes,” Cheema criticised.
He alleged, "Rising prices, weakening currency, policy uncertainty, and pressure on farmers are pushing the economy into deep distress. The economy is in tatters.’’
Oil marketing companies have been passing on the burden of rising global crude oil prices to consumers.
With the latest revision, cumulative increases in petrol and diesel prices have nearly touched Rs 7.5 per litre since fuel price revisions resumed on May 15 after a prolonged freeze, raising concerns over inflationary pressures and higher transportation costs across the economy.
Senior Congress leader and Punjab Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, condemned the fuel price hike.
"The Rupee keeps weakening against the dollar, and the cost of living is becoming unbearable for ordinary Indians,” he said.
He also added that if petrol breaches the Rs 100 per litre mark, the rupee may soon crash to Rs 100 per dollar.
"However, the Modi government continues to celebrate strong diplomacy and economic success," he said.
"The BJP had assured that PM Modi’s global image and friendships would strengthen India’s economy, but it has not happened so," Bajwa said in a post on X.
“The truth is that every economic shock is now being passed directly onto the common citizen," he said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also criticised the hike, noting that it was the fourth increase in petrol and diesel prices in just 10 days.
"This is a crippling blow to the common man already battling skyrocketing prices of essential commodities. It will push the agriculture sector into recession, devastate the middle class, and inflict untold misery on the poor,” Badal said in a post on X.
He said the Centre must immediately slash GST and other taxes on fuel and essential items to provide relief from inflation.