Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on 15 May, he defended the Centre’s decision to increase petrol and diesel prices, saying that India had managed to keep the increase minimal despite a spike in global oil prices triggered by the conflict in West Asia.
In a post on X after the fuel price hike, Rijiju said that several countries around the world saw petrol and diesel price hikes ranging from 20 per cent to nearly 100 per cent, while India limited the increase to 3.2 per cent for petrol and 3.4 per cent for diesel.
“As the world grappled with rising fuel prices amid conflict in West Asia, India stood by,” Rijiju wrote on X. Rijiju, an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, is the minister for parliamentary affairs and minority affairs in the union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rijiju’s remarks came after opposition parties criticized the state-owned oil companies for increasing the prices of petrol and diesel ₹3 per litre, ending the long-term freeze on fuel rate revisions. CNG prices in Delhi have also been hiked by ₹2 per kg.
Opposition criticism
The Congress party linked the hike in fuel prices with the completion of assembly elections in four states and one union territory, saying that PM Modi’s “vasooli (blackmail)” begins after the elections.
Rijiju also said public sector oil companies had absorbed “massive losses for weeks” even as Brent crude prices crossed $100 a barrel and global markets became volatile.
“This is responsible governance. This is leadership that puts people first,” he said, praising the prime minister Narendra Modi for balancing “economic stability and public welfare”.
As the world grappled with soaring fuel prices amid conflict in West Asia, India stood on the sidelines.
The increase in fuel prices comes amid growing concerns about inflationary pressures and the economic impact of ongoing tensions in West Asia. The government claimed that global oil prices and supply uncertainty forced oil companies to revise retail fuel prices after absorbing losses for an extended period.
But the opposition has targeted the Center over the hike, accusing the government of burdening citizens who are already struggling with the rising cost of living. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at the government by sharing a cartoon on social media promoting the bicycle as an alternative mode of transportation amid rising fuel prices. The wheel is the election symbol of the Samajwadi Party.
