New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after petrol and diesel prices were raised by about 90 paise per litre — the second hike in under a week following state-run oil firms’ decision to end a near four-year freeze on fuel-price revisions.
Kharge accused the government of shifting the burden of its failures onto ordinary citizens while granting what he called a “free pass” to industrialist Gautam Adani in the United States, as reported by Outlook.
“Just four days after the price hike, the Modi government has once again increased the prices of petrol and diesel. Having set the stage, preaching about savings while shifting the burden of their failures onto the public – this effort is in full swing,” Kharge said in a post on X.
“Robbing the common people and giving Adani a free pass from America – this is Modiji’s Compromised Model,” the Congress chief added. He also accused the BJP of lacking foresight and leadership.
Kharge’s comments followed the US Department of Justice’s decision to drop all criminal charges against Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar, ending a high-profile New York securities and wire fraud case that prosecutors said they could not sustain.
Blames Govt For Burdening Citizens
He also criticised the government’s handling of Russian oil purchases, saying, “Modi ji, who fills the air with false pride about being the ‘vishwaguru’, has begged and pleaded with America for a one-month extension on ‘permission’ to buy Russian oil. Every time he does this, he hurts the pride of 1.4 billion Indians. No previous government has ever stooped to this level,” and asked why citizens should bear higher petrol and diesel costs if New Delhi needed permission from abroad.
“Now the question is: if, according to the government, we’ve been “allowed” to do this, then why burden the common people with the weight of petrol-diesel price hikes?” he asked.
The price rise came after a temporary US sanctions waiver permitting sale and delivery of Russian seaborne crude expired on May 16. The general licence — initially issued by the US Treasury in mid-March and extended in April — had been intended to ease strains in global energy markets following disruptions triggered by the US-Israel war against Iran.
A senior petroleum ministry official told PTI on Monday that India had been buying Russian oil irrespective of US sanctions waivers and would continue to do so on commercial and energy-security grounds.
BJP Used Polls, ‘Slippery Words’ For ‘Loot’
Kharge reiterated his broader criticism of the BJP’s conduct during the crisis, accusing the party of prioritising electioneering and using “slippery words” to formulate what he described as a plan for “loot.”
“When the crisis hit, the BJP leaders were busy with elections and then they spun slippery words to devise a plan for the “loot” and “in the meantime, got their dearest friend off the hook too!”” he asserted.
The Congress leader also criticised what he described as PR-driven displays of global stature. “You don’t become a ‘vishwaguru’ just by doing sponsored PR abroad… Modi ji, you have to ensure accountability to the people. Don’t run from the real questions… The public has no interest in how you eat your mangoes or which tonic you drink,” Kharge said.
He concluded by setting a test for the prime minister’s claims to public service. “If you respond by saying what you’re actually doing about the crisis, only then will you be called the people’s true ‘Pradhan Sevak’; otherwise, you’ll remain nothing more than a mere ‘pracharak’ (propagandist),” Kharge claimed.
