"Remained busy with elections, now begging America for cheaper Russian oil": Mallikarjun Kharge slams PM Modi over fresh fuel price hike

New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): Launching a scathing attack on the Central government over the fresh spike in fuel rates, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday termed the ongoing economic distress a "Modi-government-made crisis".
He accused the ruling dispensation of shifting the burden of its strategic failures onto the common public while giving corporate entities a "free pass."

In a post on X, Kharge asserted that the BJP-led Centre is shifting the burden of its failures onto the public.

"Just four days after the price hike, the Modi government has once again increased the prices of petrol and diesel. Having set the full stage, preaching about savings while shifting the burden of their failures onto the public, this effort is in full swing...Modi ji, who fills the air with false pride about being the world's guru, has begged and pleaded with America for a one-month extension on "permission" to buy Russian oil. Every time he does this, he wounds the pride of 1.4 billion Indians. No previous government has ever stooped to this level," he said.

He further questioned the reasoning behind the fresh fuel price hike following the US extending the waiver on Russian oil "stranded at sea" for 30 days to aid "vulnerable nations".
"Now the question is: if, according to the government, we've been "allowed" to do this, then why burden the common people with the weight of petrol-diesel price hikes? I repeat once again--there is a lack of foresight and leadership in the BJP, Kharge said.
Claiming that the fuel price hike is nothing but a plan to loot the common public, Kharge said the government is running from real questions. "When the crisis hit, they were busy with elections, then spun slick, slippery words to devise a plan for the loot,
and in the meantime, got their dearest friend off the hook too! You don't become a "Vishwaguru" just by doing sponsored PR abroad."
He added, "Modi ji, you have to ensure accountability to the people. Don't run from the real questions... The public has no interest in how you eat your mangoes or which tonic you drink. If you respond by saying what you're actually doing about the crisis, only then will you be called the people's true "Pradhan Sevak"; otherwise, you'll remain nothing more than a mere "propagandist", he added.
Energy markets have experienced sustained volatility following a series of kinetic strikes tied to the broader West Asian crisis, sparking widespread fears of disruptions to global energy distribution networks.
People from across the country have expressed their disappointment over the price hike on petrol and diesel after the government increased the rice on fuel by 90 paise per litre on Tuesday. In Delhi, petrol prices rose by 87 paise, climbing from Rs 97.77 to Rs 98.64 per litre, while diesel prices increased by 91 paise, moving from Rs 90.67 to Rs 91.58 per litre.
India's oil trade deficit is set to widen sharply in FY27 as rising crude prices, weakening petroleum exports and the country's heavy dependence on imported oil place renewed stress on external balances, according to a report by Crisil. (ANI)