MUMBAI: The Narendra Modi government did not give relief to the people of the country when global oil prices were at its lowest, and, hence, it does not have the moral authority to hike fuel rates in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the NCP said on Tuesday.
NCP's Maharashtra unit chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged that with the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and four other states over, the Centre seems to be contemplating an imminent rise in the retail price of fuel.
He noted that the global crude oil price has soared to $140 per barrel in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
"When the international price of crude was at its lowest, the Modi government didn't give any relief to the citizens by lowering the retail prices of petrol and diesel. Hence, the Modi government should not cry about price rise of crude oil and has no moral authority to even think of any price hike in retail petroleum prices in the days to come," Tapase said in a statement.
The NCP leader said people had been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown and any hike in fuel prices would severely impact them.
"The Union government should absorb the burden and relieve the citizens from any upward revision of prices of petroleum products," he said.
The NCP leader also said the country was seemingly going through a phase of stagflation in which growth rate is reversing and inflation is on the rise.