Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, May 26, attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over high petrol and diesel prices, saying consumers had not benefited even as global crude oil costs fell below 2014 levels.
In a post on social media platform X, Kharge pointed to data from the Press Information Bureau and questioned the Centre’s pricing policy. “Haath kangan ko aarsi kya, Padhe-likhe ko Farsi kya!” he wrote, using the Hindi proverb to argue that the facts speak for themselves.
Kharge said that when Prime Minister Modi took office on May 26, 2014, the Indian basket crude price was $108.05 per barrel and the rupee was at ₹58.59 per dollar. “At that time, petrol was available at ₹71.51 per litre and diesel at ₹56.71 per litre,” he said.
Comparing those figures with present rates, he noted that crude oil was now below $99 per barrel, yet pump prices had risen sharply. “Today, petrol costs ₹102.12 per litre and diesel ₹95.20 per litre. In other words, crude oil has become cheaper, but petrol has become about 42.8 per cent more expensive and diesel about 67.9 per cent more expensive,” Kharge said.
“हाथ कंगन को आरसी क्या,
पढ़े-लिखे को फ़ारसी क्या!”PIB के अधिकृत बयान के अनुसार, आज से ठीक बारह साल पहले 26 मई 2014 को जब प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी ने सत्ता संभाली थी, उस दिन भारतीय basket का कच्चा तेल $108.05 प्रति बैरल था और डॉलर-रुपया exchange rate 58.59 रुपए थी। उस समय… pic.twitter.com/HzqJZhY0wW
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 26, 2026
He argued that higher fuel costs ripple through the economy and worsen inflation for households. “Every economist knows that rising petrol and diesel prices affect every sector. From transportation to food items, inflation increases the burden on the common man. Despite this, the government’s profiteering continues,” he alleged.
“If crude oil became cheaper, why did petrol and diesel become more expensive? Why has the public not received any relief?” Kharge asked.
Fuel prices have been a recurring flashpoint in national politics, with Opposition parties criticising high central excise duties on petroleum products. The Union government has maintained that retail rates reflect global market volatility, state-level taxes, and spending on welfare and infrastructure projects.