Gehlot targets Modi govt over fuel price rise after assembly polls

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government over rise in fuel prices after the completion of assembly elections in five states.

He said the central government should reduce the tax on petrol and diesel and give relief to the "already troubled" people.

The chief minister stressed that as long as the assembly elections were underway in five states, the Modi government did not make any changes in the prices of petrol and diesel while crude oil prices were changing daily in the international market.

"As soon as the results of the elections came, the central government increased the price of petrol and diesel and started putting burden on the people who are already affected by the pandemic," he tweeted.

Also read: More pain at the pump: Petrol price hiked by 25 paise, diesel by 30 paise

"The Modi government is charging many times more tax on diesel, petrol than the UPA government, due to which inflation is continuously increasing," he said.

In one of the steepest increase since daily price revision was started, petrol price on Thursday was hiked by 25 paise per litre and diesel by 30 paise as oil companies raised rates for the third straight day to pass on to consumers the increase in international oil prices.

Petrol price in Delhi was increased to Rs 90.99 per litre from Rs 90.74 while diesel rates went up to Rs 81.42 a litre from Rs 81.12, according to a price notification by state-owned fuel retailers. f