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Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai on Friday strongly criticised the Centre over the recent fuel price hike, alleging that the burden of economic decisions was being passed on to common citizens while benefiting select interests.
Reacting to the increase in petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre each, Rai questioned the government's past energy policies and accused it of failing to pass on the benefits of cheaper crude imports to the public. "When petrol and diesel prices were at their lowest, cheap oil was bought from Russia; the nation gained no benefit. Now, excise duty on exports has been cut, but the burden has been placed on the poor," Rajeev Rai told ANI. He further said the government must clarify its priorities between public welfare and private interests, asserting that rising fuel prices were disproportionately affecting lower-income households. "The Prime Minister must decide whether the nation is greater or his friends. For 80 crore citizens surviving on ration, even one rupee matters. Policies that favour friends while harming ordinary people cannot continue," he added. Rai also urged the government to roll back what he termed "burdensome policies" and revisit earlier commitments made on stabilising fuel prices. "The government should roll them back immediately. The earlier promise was that companies' losses would be covered, so rates would not rise in such situations. That commitment must now be fulfilled," he said. The remarks come after the Centre increased petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre each across the country amid the ongoing global energy crisis triggered by the West Asia conflict. In Delhi, petrol rose from Rs 94.77 to Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel increased from Rs 87.67 to Rs 90.67 per litre. The hike comes amid continued pressure on global energy markets due to tensions in West Asia, with Brent crude remaining above USD 100 per barrel amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict and disruptions in key maritime routes. Despite the global volatility, the Centre earlier maintained that India has sufficient fuel reserves and uninterrupted energy supplies. On May 12, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said India ensured stable fuel prices and uninterrupted energy supplies despite rising global crude prices and supply disruptions. The minister had said there had been no reports of fuel shortages in the country and that refineries were operating at optimum levels. The decision comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made seven appeals to citizens to strengthen economic resilience by reducing dependence on imported fuel and adopting environmentally sustainable alternatives amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. PM Modi urged people to prioritise work from home, reduce fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, adopt Swadeshi products, cut cooking oil usage, shift towards natural farming and curb gold purchases. To tackle volatility in global fuel prices, the Prime Minister also called for changes in transportation habits. He appealed to citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using metro services and public transport wherever available, opting for carpooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railways for goods transportation and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible. In line with the appeal, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday ordered curbs on the use of official vehicles by ministers, MLAs and other public representatives. She also urged Delhi residents to adopt carpooling and use public transport to reduce fuel consumption. (ANI)
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