Mayur MohtaCongress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge intensified their attack on the BJP-led government as petrol and diesel prices crossed ₹7.5 per litre in cumulative hikes since May 15, sparking fury over what the opposition brands a post-election assault on household budgets.
Rahul Gandhi Coins ‘Mehangai Manav Modi’ Jibe as Prices Bite
The fourth fuel price revision in under two weeks hit Indian consumers hard on Monday with petrol going up by ₹2.61 per litre and diesel climbing ₹2.71 per litre. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wasted no time in going on the offensive. He took to social media platform X and branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi “Mehangai Manav Modi,” accusing him of picking citizens’ pockets in slow, stealthy instalments.
“‘Mehangai manav’ Modi strikes again. He raises petrol and diesel prices in installments ensuring that your pockets are quietly picked, bit by bit,” Gandhi said in a sharp post on X.
He went further alleging that the government had deliberately frozen fuel prices during the election season and then resumed hikes the moment the votes were counted.
“For months, I had been warning of an impending economic storm. But Modi Ji, true to form, was busy with elections at the time and the moment the elections ended, he hiked the prices of petrol and diesel by ₹8,” Gandhi said.
He added that the upward pressure on fuel prices would only continue and dismissed the government’s track record with a biting remark: “‘Mehangai manav’ Modi has just one job: promises during elections, and attacking people’s pockets at other times.”
Kharge Calls It a ‘Daily Assault’ : Brands Move as Fuel Loot
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge joined the chorus of criticism, describing the repeated price revisions as a relentless “daily assault” on ordinary people.
“The Daily Assault of FUEL LOOT is not over yet!” Kharge wrote on X, warning that every fuel price hike delivers another blow to household budgets with cascading effects on the broader economy.
He argued that no section of society remained untouched. Farmers, transporters, small traders, and MSMEs all were being crushed under the weight of what he described as the BJP government’s systematic looting of the common citizen.
Four Hikes in 10 Days : A Timeline of Rising Costs
The price trajectory since mid-May tells a troubling story for millions of consumers across India.
The first blow came on May 15, when state-owned oil marketing companies raised petrol and diesel rates by ₹3 per litre each. Just four days later on May 19, another hike of 90 paise per litre followed. Then on May 23, petrol went up by a further 87 paise and diesel by 91 paise per litre. Monday’s fourth revision petrol up ₹2.61 and diesel up ₹2.71 pushed the cumulative increase to nearly ₹7.5 per litre in just ten days.
In real terms, Delhiites now pay ₹102.12 per litre for petrol up from ₹99.51 while diesel jumped from ₹92.49 to ₹95.20. Mumbai drivers face even steeper rates, with petrol at ₹111.21 and diesel at ₹97.83 per litre. In Kolkata, petrol stands at ₹113.51 and diesel at ₹99.82 while Chennaiites are paying ₹107.77 for petrol and ₹99.55 for diesel. State-level taxes cause wide variation in final prices across the country.
Also Read | Petrol & Diesel Prices Jump Again, Fourth Hike in Just 10 Days Hits Every Indian’s Pocket
Why Are Prices Rising? Global Forces and Post-Election Timing Draw Scrutiny
The fuel retailers Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) together control about 90 per cent of India’s retail fuel market. They cite a trifecta of pressures for the hikes: surging global crude oil prices, a weakened rupee pushing up import costs, and tightening refining margins.
Global crude prices have surged more than 50 per cent since late February driven partly by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and serious disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil supplies.
The oil companies had kept pump prices artificially low during the conflict’s early phase a move the government defended as shielding consumers from inflation. Critics, however, see a different motive entirely. The May 15 hike the first in the series came just after the BJP won three of five state and UT assembly elections, including West Bengal.
The timing has lent the opposition its sharpest talking point yet: that fuel prices were used as a political tool frozen before votes were cast, then unleashed once they were counted.
Impact on Inflation : Economists Flag Risks
Economists and market analysts are flagging the risk of a broader inflationary spiral. Rising diesel prices directly impact transportation costs pushing up the prices of vegetables, food grains, and essential goods that reach India’s towns and cities on trucks. Small manufacturers, cab aggregators, and delivery businesses face rising operating costs. MSMEs already under pressure may be forced to pass costs on to consumers, adding another layer to India’s inflation challenge.
The political battle over fuel prices is now far from over. With the opposition smelling blood and prices still expected to rise the coming weeks could see this become one of the defining economic controversies of 2026.
Pratik Agrawal
Akshay Didwaniya
Aditya Didwaniya