New Delhi, May 26: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the Centre on Tuesday over the rising fuel prices and claimed that people from all sections are very angry with the Modi government as they know that it is incapable of solving the problems of the poor.
The Congress chief asked why relief was not provided to people when crude oil prices fell during the last 12 years.
Speaking with reporters here, Kharge said, “This is Modi ji’s tactic… a kind of slow poisoning to kill poor people. They always keep increasing prices little by little, but when prices go up by Rs 10–12 within just a week, it shows that Modi ji does not want to pay attention to these issues and is instead pushing the country toward ruin.”
“At the same time, he keeps saying that he is doing everything for the nation, making sacrifices, and working for the people. But people here are suffering. If inflation keeps rising like this, unemployment continues to increase, factories shut down, and MSMEs and small-scale industries are forced to close, then what will happen?” he said.
All classes of people are “very angry” with this government and know that it is incapable of solving the problems of poor people, Kharge said.
“The problem of paper leaks has increased. Why doesn’t he pay attention to these issues? Does he have to run the country or visit all the countries of the world as tourists?” he said.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge cited an official statement by the PIB to state that exactly 12 years ago today — on May 26, 2014 — when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, the price of crude oil in the Indian basket stood at USD 108.05 per barrel, and the Dollar-Rupee exchange rate was Rs 58.59.
At that time, petrol was available at Rs 71.51 per litre, and diesel at Rs 56.71 per liter, he said in his post in Hindi on X.
Today, the price of crude oil is below USD 99 per barrel; yet, the prices of petrol and diesel have surged to Rs 102.12 and Rs 95.20 per litre, respectively, Kharge said.
In other words, while crude oil has become cheaper, petrol has become approximately 42.8% more expensive, and diesel about 67.9% more expensive, he said.
“Every economist knows that the rising cost of petrol and diesel impacts every sector. From transportation to food commodities, the burden of inflation on the common man continues to intensify. Despite this, the government’s profiteering continues unabated,” Kharge said.
“The question is straightforward: When crude oil prices have fallen, why have petrol and diesel become more expensive?” he said.
Why is there no relief for the public, Kharge asked.
The Congress on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Modi over the latest fuel hike, with Rahul Gandhi alleging that the “mehangai manav” has struck again and he has just one job of making promises during elections and attacking people’s pockets at other times.
Kharge had lashed out at the Modi government over the issue and asked who is benefitting from this “daily robbery”.
Petrol and diesel prices were raised by Rs 2.61-2.71 per litre on Monday, marking the fourth increase in less than two weeks as state-owned fuel retailers continued to pass on rising international oil prices to consumers. (PTI)
