Govt has failed to address inflation, focused only on winning elections: Sachin Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot has accused the central government of failing to address inflation, instead focusing on winning elections and targeting the opposition through fuel price hikes.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday alleged that the central government has failed to address the issue of inflation and it appears focused on winning elections and targeting the opposition.

The former deputy chief minister's remarks came as petrol prices were raised by Rs 2.61 a litre and diesel prices by Rs 2.71 on Monday, the fourth increase in less than two weeks that extended a delayed pass-through of soaring global crude oil costs triggered by the Iran conflict.

The latest increase took cumulative hikes since May 15 to nearly Rs 7.5 per litre.

Addressing the media here, Pilot said petrol and diesel prices have been rising steadily since the elections got over. Such decisions should have been disclosed earlier instead of burdening the public later, he said.

The increase in fuel prices leads to a cascading effect on essential commodities, worsening inflation. The government has ''failed'' to address the issue, he said.

''The government's only agenda appears to be to win elections and target the opposition,'' the Congress leader charged.

On the NEET paper ''leak'', Pilot alleged that repeated leaks of competitive exams' question papers over the past few years indicate a larger organised racket involving ''education mafias''.

He questioned the government's decision to hand over the NEET probe to the CBI, saying it does not absolve authorities of accountability.

Pilot said more than 22 lakh students appeared for the examination and many families have suffered due to the alleged irregularities.

Merely cancelling exams after leaks are exposed is not sufficient. Accountability must be fixed and heads should roll, he said.

''If the government is serious about the future of the youth, it must take concrete steps instead of shifting responsibility,'' he added.

Pilot also criticised the Modi government's foreign and economic policies, alleging that India's autonomy in areas such as energy procurement is being compromised. He said decisions regarding imports of oil should be based on national interest without external pressure.

On the local body elections in Rajasthan, the Congress leader claimed that the BJP government was trying to delay them due to the fear of defeat.