Opposition leaders launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Friday, accusing the central government of waited until the final votes were cast before unloading a heavy financial burden onto the public. The outcry follows a sharp hike in petrol, diesel, and CNG prices, a move critics claim was deliberately timed to avoid political fallout during the election season.
The Congress Party led the charge, mockingly rebranding the Prime Minister as "Mehngai Man Modi" — using the Hindi term for inflation — and suggesting that the government has now entered a "recovery phase" at the expense of the common citizen. "Elections over, Modi’s recovery begins," the party stated, arguing that the BJP is indifferent to the struggles of families already fighting against a soaring cost of living.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that with international oil prices soft or declining for years, the Indian National Congress had been urging that those benefits should be passed on to Indian consumers and that domestic prices of gas, petrol, and diesel should be reduced.
That, however, did not happen and consumers were "fleeced", he said.
"Now that international oil prices are climbing up because of the war in West Asia unleashed by the PM's good friends — the US and Israel — and assembly elections are over, the Modi Government has increased petrol and diesel prices after having hiked commercial LPG prices earlier.
"This is bound to lead to further inflation that is now projected to be close to 6% for this financial year. Growth estimates will be lowered considerably," Ramesh said.
In the capital, the revision saw petrol jump to ₹97.77 per litre and diesel to ₹90.67, breaking a long-standing freeze on rates that many observers felt was politically motivated. Petrol and diesel prices have been increased by ₹3 per litre after state-owned oil firms ended a four-year record hiatus in rate revision. And CNG price increased by ₹2 per KG.
The Trinamool Congress was equally dismissive, with MP Derek O'Brien describing the move as "pathetically predictable." He suggested that the strategy was to "loot the vote" first and then "kick the public where it hurts." O'Brien also turned the spotlight on the newly formed BJP administration in West Bengal, questioning whether it would now slash local VAT to provide some much-needed relief to motorists.
Adding a touch of satire to the debate, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to champion his party's symbol: the bicycle. Sharing a caricature of himself on two wheels, he quipped that the bicycle is now the "only option" for those who want to keep moving without going broke. His jibe came as a warning that the earlier threats regarding an increase in prices after elections were definitely going to be fulfilled. In light of this sharp rise in prices, it appears as though the opposition is hell-bent on making sure there is political payback as well.
Also read: Petrol, diesel prices raised by ₹3 across India
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