Congress slams Centre over rising fuel prices, questions PM for not disclosing seriousness of crisis

With petrol and diesel prices rising for the third time in eight days, the Congress on Saturday questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not disclose the seriousness of the country’s fuel supply situation while addressing Parliament on the impact of the West Asia conflict on March 23, and accused the Centre of burdening citizens with fuel price hikes after Assembly elections. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of “looting the public in instalments”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Centre did not pass down the benefits to the people when international prices were low. In remarks posted on X, Mr. Kharge accused the government of continuing to impose heavy central taxes on petrol and diesel while failing to pass on the gains from periods of lower global crude prices.

He alleged that the government had “looted” consumers when oil prices were low and later appealed for “sacrifice” once international prices rose. “Petrol has now crossed ₹100… looting the public’s earnings in instalments,” he said. The Congress president also accused the government of timing fuel price reductions around elections and resuming hikes after polling concluded. He said when the West Asia crisis had broken out, the Prime Minister was busy giving “everything is fine sedative” while other countries provided relief to their citizens. Contrasting India’s response with that of several countries during periods of energy stress, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha cited measures adopted by Italy, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland to cushion citizens through tax cuts and fuel relief packages.

Broader stress Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Congress research department chairman Rajeev Gowda said rising fuel prices and the depreciating rupee reflected broader economic distress. “There is a race going on between fuel and the rupee as to which will hit the century first,” Mr. Gowda said, referring to petrol prices nearing ₹100 per litre and the rupee approaching 100 against the U.S. dollar. The Congress leader accused the Prime Minister of dhokebaazi (deception) by not revealing the seriousness of the fuel supply situation in his address to Parliament in March or before the Assembly elections. Gowda said that when crude prices collapsed after 2014, particularly in 2020-21, the Centre retained high excise duties instead of reducing retail prices. He said taxes had constituted nearly 54% of petrol and 49% of diesel prices in Delhi at the peak of the 2021 price surge.

Questioning the Centre’s “Aatmanirbharta” claims while pointing to rising dependence on imported crude and liquefied petroleum gas and declining production, the principal opposition party also alleged that benefits from discounted Russian crude imports and windfall tax collections were not adequately shared with consumers while oil marketing companies posted significant profits. The party warned that recent fuel price hikes would increase transportation costs and lead to inflation in essential commodities. It also questioned whether foreign policy pressures and growing dependence on imported energy had compromised India’s energy security and sovereignty.