Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today attacked PM Narendra Modi over record hike in petrol and diesel prices, alleging that his government has been bust collecting taxes. "Modi Ji has shown tremendous growth in 'GDP' i.e. gas-diesel-petrol prices! The public is plagued by inflation, Modi government is busy in tax collection," Mr Gandhi wrote in a tweet in Hindi.
On Saturday, petrol and diesel prices in India touched new all-time high rates after prices increased for the fourth time this week.
Petrol is currently being sold at ₹ 85.70 per litre in Delhi and ₹ 92.28 in Mumbai. While Diesel rate rose to ₹ 75.88 a litre in the national capital and to ₹ 82.66 per litre in Mumbai, the price data showed.
This is the second consecutive day of the rate increase and all prices have risen to Re 1 per litre this week.
Earlier this week, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had blamed Saudi oil output cut for the increase in oil prices but remained non-committal on tax cuts.
Mr Pradhan said, "We have to import 80 per cent of crude oil of our requirement. Due to coronavirus, many oil-producing countries stopped production or reduced it. There is a pressure on fuel price due to imbalance in demand and supply.”
Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu
The Congress leader is in Tamil Nadu to kickstart his party’s campaign for the assembly elections and on Sunday said that he is in Tamil Nadu to not tell people his 'Mann Ki Baat’, but to listen and solve their problems.
For the first time in history farmers are going to hold a rally on Republic Day because their rights are being snatched away, Gandhi said while speaking about the Tractor really in Delhi. “I have not come here to tell you what to do or tell you my Mann ki Baat, I have come here to listen to you, to understand your problems & try to help resolve them: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Erode, Tamil Nadu,” he said.