UNIPA News(New Delhi) 26 May 2026:Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday strongly criticised the Modi government over the continuous rise in petrol and diesel prices, questioning why the public has not received any relief despite a decline in global crude oil prices.

Referring to official data released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Kharge stated that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office on May 26, 2014, the price of crude oil in the Indian basket stood at USD 108.05 per barrel, while the Indian rupee traded at Rs 58.59 against the US dollar.

At that time, petrol was priced at Rs 71.51 per litre and diesel at Rs 56.71 per litre, he noted.

Kharge claimed that although crude oil prices are currently below USD 99 per barrel, petrol prices have increased to Rs 102.12 per litre and diesel prices to Rs 95.20 per litre.

He alleged that while crude oil prices have fallen, petrol has become nearly 42.8 percent more expensive and diesel around 67.9 percent costlier.

According to Kharge, rising fuel prices have a direct impact on every sector of the economy, including transportation and food commodities, increasing the burden of inflation on ordinary citizens. He further accused the government of continuing its “profiteering” despite mounting public hardship.

“The question is simple: when crude oil prices have declined, why are petrol and diesel becoming more expensive?” Kharge asked, adding that the public deserves relief from rising living costs.

Earlier on Monday, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the latest fuel price hike, accusing the government of placing additional financial pressure on the people.

State-owned fuel retailers on Monday raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2.61 to Rs 2.71 per litre, marking the fourth increase in less than two weeks, citing higher international oil prices.