Kharge accuses Centre of ‘looting’ the public as fuel prices stay high despite fall in global crude oil rate

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday (June 27, 2026) accused the Narendra Modi government of refusing to pass on the benefit of falling global crude oil prices to consumers, alleging that the Centre was treating the public as a source of tax revenue rather than providing relief.

In a post on X, Mr. Kharge said international crude oil prices had fallen to pre-West Asia war levels, but petrol, diesel and LPG prices remained high.

Describing it as the BJP’s “habit of looting and pickpocketing”, he alleged that while crude oil prices had tumbled, the government had continued to “tighten the reins” on household savings instead of reducing fuel prices.

Posing a series of questions to the Centre, Mr. Kharge said that when the conflict in West Asia had pushed crude oil prices to about $138 a barrel, petrol was selling at a retail price of ₹94.77 a litre and diesel at ₹87.67 a litre.

With crude oil now down to about $70.71 a barrel, petrol was still being sold at ₹102.12 a litre and diesel at ₹95.20 a litre, he said.

He also questioned why commercial LPG prices, which had been raised sharply citing supply disruptions during the conflict, had not been rolled back despite the normalisation of supplies.

“Why isn’t the public getting even a penny’s relief?” he asked, alleging that the prices of domestic LPG cylinders, five-kg cylinders used by migrant workers and CNG had also remained elevated.

“When crude oil was expensive, the public suffered. Now that crude oil is cheap, why is the public still bearing the burden?” Mr. Kharge asked. “It is evident that the public has become merely a means for the BJP government to extract taxes and increase its collections.”

The Congress has repeatedly accused the Centre of failing to reduce fuel prices despite a decline in global crude oil prices, alleging that higher indirect taxes have imposed an undue burden on consumers.