Opposition parties in Haryana slam Centre over fuel price hike

Opposition parties in Haryana have condemned the latest fuel price hike, claiming it has severely burdened the common people with four increases in under two weeks.

Opposition parties in Haryana on Monday hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the fresh hike in fuel prices, alleging that the move has broken the back of common people.

Petrol and diesel prices were raised by Rs 2.61-2.71 per litre on Monday, marking the fourth increase in less than two weeks as state-owned fuel retailers continued to pass on rising international oil prices to consumers.

Congress leader and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja said, ''In just 11 days, by hiking petrol and diesel prices four times, the BJP government has broken the back of the common people.''.

The government is not focused on providing relief to the people, ''but rather on extracting money through taxes and inflation'', Selja said in a post in Hindi on X.

''As soon as the elections ended, petrol and diesel prices were raised, launching a direct attack on the common man, farmers, labourers, and the middle class,'' she said.

''Every time, international circumstances are blamed as an excuse, but the truth is that the people of the country are bearing the consequences of the BJP government's wrong economic policies and pro-capitalist decisions,'' she said.

''The nation is asking: How long will the people continue to endure the blows of inflation?'' Selja said.

Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader and former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala also slammed the Centre over hike in fuel prices.

Taking a dig at the BJP government, he said, ''Development has begun to falter; the rhetoric of empty slogans has run dry''.

He said petrol prices have soared past the Rs 100 mark, and people are finding it difficult to manage their kitchens.

Indian National Lok Dal president Abhay Singh Chautala alleged that the common people of the country were already facing the ''heavy burden'' of inflation and to make matters worse, the BJP government has broken the back of the common man by hiking the prices of petrol, diesel, CNG, and cooking gas in past few days.

''This serves as clear evidence of the government's anti-people and insensitive policies. For the first time in the state, the price of petrol has crossed the Rs 100 mark,'' the INLD chief said.

Chautala said under the BJP rule, the costs of electricity, cooking gas, pulses, flour, cooking oil, and vegetables -- ”everything-- ”have skyrocketed.

''It has become increasingly difficult for the common people to manage their household budgets amidst this back-breaking inflation,'' he said.

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

Fuel prices have now reached their highest levels since May 2022 after remaining largely frozen for more than two years, barring a Rs 2-per-litre cut in March 2024 ahead of national elections.