‘Mehangai manav’ strikes again: Rahul slams PM for fuel hike

File photo of Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. Photo: X/@INCIndia via PTI.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (May 25, 2026) hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latest fuel hike, saying the “mehangai manav” has struck again and he has only one job: to make promises during elections and attack people’s pockets at other times.

Petrol and diesel prices rose by ₹2.61-2.71 per liter on Monday (May 25, 2026), the fourth hike in less than two weeks, as state-run fuel retailers continued to pass on rising international crude prices to consumers.

“‘Mehangai manav’ Modi strikes again. Increases petrol and diesel prices on installments – ensures your pockets are quietly picked, bit by bit,” Mr Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

“I have been warning for months about the impending economic storm. But Modi Ji, in his form, was busy with elections at that time and the moment the elections were over, he hiked petrol and diesel prices by ₹8,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

And this upward trend will only continue, he added.

“‘Mehangai manav’ Modi has only one job: make promises during elections and attack people’s pockets at other times,” Gandhi said.

With the latest revision, the cumulative hike in petrol and diesel prices almost touched ₹ 7.5 per liter as fuel price revisions resumed on May 15 after a prolonged freeze, raising fears of inflationary pressures and higher transport costs across the economy.

The latest revision has increased petrol prices by ₹ 2.61 per liter and diesel by ₹ 2.71, according to industry sources.

Petrol prices in Delhi were hiked to ₹102.12 per liter from ₹99.51 earlier, while diesel prices were hiked to ₹95.20 per liter from ₹92.49.

The mutual hike follows a prolonged freeze in retail fuel prices and comes amid increased global crude prices, tightening refining margins and a weaker rupee, which has sharply increased import costs.

Petrol and diesel prices were increased by ₹ 3 per liter on 15 May and by ₹ 90 paise per liter on 19 May. This was followed by an increase of 87 pa per liter in petrol and a 91 paise increase in diesel rates on 23 May.

After Monday’s (May 25, 2026) hike, petrol now costs ₹ 111.21 per liter and diesel at ₹ 97.83 per liter at PSU pumps in Mumbai, while prices in Kolkata rose to ₹ 113.51 and ₹ 99.82. In Chennai, petrol costs ₹107.77 and diesel costs ₹99.55.

Prices vary by state due to local taxes.

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) together control 90 percent of India’s fuel market.

The mutual increase comes after global oil prices have surged more than 50% since late February following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route.

Fuel retailers have kept pump prices low in the first two-and-a-half months of the conflict despite rising input costs, a move the government says is aimed at protecting consumers from inflation. But opposition parties accused the government of postponing price revisions until after key regional elections.

The May 15 surge came after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) widened its electoral footprint by winning three out of five state and UT elections, including West Bengal.

Published – 25 May 2026 12:26 IST