KTR demands NaMo govt to roll back fuel price hike

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday demanded the Centre to immediately reverse the recent hike in petrol, diesel and LPG prices, accusing the Modi administration of plunging the lives of citizens into chaos with its unrelenting fuel price increases.

In a letter addressed to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, he slammed the Centre’s policies, asserting that India has become one of the most expensive nations globally for fuel, outstripping even Bhutan, Pakistan and economically crippled Sri Lanka.

Rao pointed out the paradox of rising domestic fuel prices despite a significant decline in international crude oil rates, accusing the Centre of exploiting citizens through excessive taxation. “Even as global crude prices drop, the Central government continues to jack up fuel costs. Is this the ‘Achche Din’ they promised?” he questioned sharply. He expressed outrage over the Centre’s use of unshareable cesses, which he claimed are choking States financially while filling the Union’s coffers, calling it a betrayal of cooperative federalism.

He alleged that the Modi government is engaging in ‘severe economic exploitation’ by hiking fuel rates through cesses, denying States like Telangana their rightful share of revenue. “While States contributing significantly to economy struggle with fund shortages, the Centre uses illegally collected cess revenues to dominate them instead of providing infrastructure,” KTR charged. He criticised the government’s slogan of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, stating it has morphed into ‘Maximum Taxation, Minimum Relief’.

Highlighting the crippling burden of LPG prices, which have soared past Rs 1,100 per cylinder, rendering them unaffordable for the poor and middle-class women, KTR termed the much-touted Ujjwala Yojana a ‘cruel joke’, noting that beneficiaries who once received cylinders with fanfare are now forced to cook with firewood due to escalating costs. “The LPG price hike isn’t just a statistic – it disrupts every facet of life,” he said, adding oil companies were poised to pocket thousands of crores while the poor choose between gas and groceries.

KTR recalled that even when crude oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel in the past, fuel costs in India were lower than they were today. “Is this the ‘Achche Din’ Modi promised – where the middle class drowns in EMIs and fuel bills, the poor agonise over choosing between cylinders and essentials, and States lose their autonomy?” KTR asked.