Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre for a second day straight. In the national capital, petrol will cost Rs 97.01 per litre as against Rs 96.21 previously, while diesel rate has gone up from Rs 87.47 per litre to Rs 88.27.
Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre each while domestic cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder as state oil firms ended an over four-and-half month hiatus in rate revision, fanning inflation fears.
While LPG rates were last revised on October 6, 2021, petrol and diesel prices had been on a freeze since November 4 as five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, went to the polls. LPG prices had gone up by close to Rs 100 per cylinder between July and October 6, 2021, triggering criticism.
Opposition parties on Tuesday had attacked the government over the rise in fuel prices, alleging it had held back for the last few months only because of elections and had once again ''inflicted pain'' on the common man as the assembly polls were over.
They also protested in both houses of Parliament, with parties like the Congress, DMK, TMC, NCP, JMM, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, RSP, MDMK and VCK walking out from the Lok Sabha, while their members protested in Rajya Sabha forcing the chair to adjourn the House twice.
The Congress accused the government of "looting" Rs 10,000 crore through this "triple assault" on the poor and common people and said it had warned of such price hike after the assembly election in five states.
Several party leaders including Rahul Gandhi said the "lockdown'' on petrol, diesel and gas prices has been lifted and the government will now increase their cost as assembly elections are now over. The Congress party in a statement demanded that the rise in petrol, diesel and gas prices be taken back and brought to the level that existed during the UPA rule. "This shameless loot of people's money, especially the poor, must come to an end," the party said.
"The 'lockdown' imposed on the prices of gas, diesel and petrol has been lifted. Now the government will continuously increase the prices. If you ask the prime minister about the epidemic of inflation, he will say #ThaliBajao," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said, "Another gift of inflation given by the BJP government to the public LPG cylinder in Lucknow is now near the Rs 1000 mark and crosses Rs 1000 in Patna! Elections end, inflation starts..."
