Ranit Kr. Singh , New Delhi - The Congress party on Saturday sharply criticized the Central government following a fresh hike in petrol and diesel prices, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of burdening ordinary citizens to protect oil company profits. This latest escalation marks the third fuel price revision in less than ten days, driven by global energy market volatility linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict and a blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz maritime trade route. The opposition party stated on X that the government has raised fuel prices by ₹5 over the last nine days, alleging that the administration prioritizes capitalists over citizens battling inflation.

Saturday's price revision impacted major metropolitan cities heavily. In Delhi, petrol rose by 87 paise to ₹99.51 per litre and diesel by 91 paise to ₹92.49 per litre. Kolkata saw the steepest rates, with petrol climbing 94 paise to ₹110.64 per litre and diesel increasing 95 paise to ₹97.02 per litre. Meanwhile, Mumbai's fuel prices reached ₹108.49 for petrol and ₹95.02 for diesel, while Chennai registered ₹105.31 for petrol and ₹96.98 for diesel.

This upward trend follows a nationwide ₹3 per litre increase implemented by the Centre on May 15, alongside another sharp multi-paise hike earlier in the week that also affected cities like Jaipur. Congress contrasted these rapid increases with global relief efforts, claiming the Modi government is "looting its own citizens" while other nations support their people. The repeated hikes have prompted widespread calls for fuel conservation as the international energy crisis deepens.