The Congress has criticized the Center over rising fuel prices and questioned the prime minister for not revealing the gravity of the crisis

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that there was a leadership crisis in the government and said that while other countries are providing aid to their people, here the BJP government continues to “loot” them. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

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 severity of the country’s fuel supply situation when he spoke in Parliament on March 23 on the impact of the conflict in West Asia, accusing the Center of burdening citizens with fuel hikes after the Assembly elections.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of “looting the public in installments”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Center was not passing on benefits to the people when international prices were low.

In remarks published on X, Mr Kharge accused the government of continuing to levy high central taxes on petrol and diesel while failing to pass on the gains from a period of lower global oil prices. He claimed the government had “robbed” consumers when oil prices were low and later called for “victims” once international prices rose.

“Petrol has now crossed ₹100… and is robbing the public’s profits in installments,” he said.

The Congress president also accused the government of timing the fuel price cut around elections and resuming the price hike after the survey was over. He said that when the West Asian crisis broke out, the Prime Minister was busy administering “everything is fine sedatives” while other countries provided relief to their citizens. Contrasting India’s response with that of several countries during a period of energy stress, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha cited measures taken by Italy, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland to appease citizens through tax cuts and fuel relief packages.

Wider stress

Congress research chief Rajeev Gowda said at a press conference on Saturday that rising fuel prices and a depreciating rupee reflected broader economic woes.

“There is a race between the fuel and the rupee to hit the century first,” Mr Gowda said, referring to petrol prices approaching ₹100 a liter and 100 rupees against the US dollar.

The Congress leader accused the prime minister of dhokebaazi (deception) when he did not reveal the seriousness of the fuel supply situation in his address to parliament in March or before the general elections.

Mr Gowda said that when oil prices collapsed after 2014, especially in 2020-21, the Center kept excise duties high instead of reducing retail prices. He said taxes accounted for nearly 54% of petrol prices and 49% of diesel prices in Delhi at the peak of the 2021 price hike.

Disputing the Centre’s claims, the main opposition party “Aatmanirbharta” pointing to increasing dependence on imported crude and LPG and falling production also claimed that the benefits of discounted Russian oil imports and windfall taxes were not being adequately shared with consumers while oil companies were making substantial profits.

The party warned that the recent hike in fuel prices would increase transport costs and lead to inflation of basic commodities. She also questioned whether foreign policy pressures and growing dependence on imported energy have threatened India’s energy security and sovereignty.

Published – 23 May 2026 14:41 IST