The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday verified a viral claim shared by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on social media that said petrol and diesel prices would increase by ₹10 a ₹12.50 or
The PIB said no such order had been issued by the central government and further termed it as “fake”.
“An order circulating on social media claims to have been issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stating that petrol and diesel prices have been increased by ₹10 a ₹12.50,” said PIB on X.
It added, “This order is #FAKE. Government of India has not issued any such order.”
He also urged citizens to rely only on official government sources for accurate updates and to refrain from sharing unverified information that could lead to confusion.
“Always verify such reports only through official government sources,” PIB Fact Check said in its advisory.
What did the viral claim say?
A viral claim posted by TMC leader @Nilanjan DasAITC said, “Voting is still going on and shameless, anti-people govt @narendramodi has brazenly hiked petrol price by ₹10 and the price of diesel according to ₹12.50″, adds a fake order from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, claiming that “Due to the surge in global oil prices by more than 100% in recent months, the cost of procurement has increased significantly, which has a direct impact on domestic prices.”
Rahul Gandhi’s warning on fuel prices
On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi warned that petrol and diesel prices are likely to rise once the assembly elections are over on April 29.
Read also | Gasoline, diesel prices April 29: Did the cost of refueling change today?
He also criticized the government for allegedly benefiting from low global oil prices, arguing that with prices now rising, the burden would be passed on to the public.
“Electoral relief is over, inflation is on the way! After April 29, watch out – petrol, diesel, everything will be expensive. When (crude) oil was cheap, the Modi government pocketed the profits. Now when it is expensive, they will dump the burden on you,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
He argued: “A government that robs when it’s cheap – leaves the public to bear the brunt of inflation.”
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The second phase of West Bengal elections is taking place today.
Assembly elections in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have already been completed and the results are expected to be announced on May 4.
Global oil prices are rising due to the ongoing war in West Asia. Following the attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States on February 28, the global oil supply chain was disrupted, mainly due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid speculation of a hike in fuel prices following the results of the West Bengal poll, a senior government official on Tuesday clarified that there are no plans to hike petrol and diesel prices, according to PTI.
Read also | Oil prices rise as Iran, UAE look ahead; AI concerns weigh on stocks
Retail gasoline and diesel prices were unchanged for a record fourth year in a row, despite oil prices rising more than 50% in the past two months due to conflict in West Asia.
The widening gap between higher input costs and stable fuel prices has caused significant losses to the state’s fuel retailers, with some estimates suggesting daily losses of nearly ₹2,400 million crowns.
This has led to speculation that fuel prices may be hiked after the politically important assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry conclude on Wednesday. However, during a press conference on the impact of developments in West Asia, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, also clarified, “There is no proposal to increase petrol and diesel prices.”
