New Delhi: The election dates regulate petrol and diesel rates, the Congress said on Sunday. Therefore, it has nothing to do with the hike in global rates. Congress spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said retail inflation, GDP growth and a depreciating rupee are some of the examples that paint a dismal picture about the Indian economy. He alleged that the BJP government is releasing various data to confuse people. Because of the callousness and incompetence of the government, lower-income and middle-income groups suffer.
He said, “Retail inflation has been above the Reserve Bank of India’s upper band of 6% for the last seven months. Commodities such as food, vegetables, and fuel hurt middle-income and lower-income groups. The government has been inconsiderate towards the fuel prices.”
He further said that the crude oil had been constantly on a downward trend for the last few months. Yet, this trend does not seem to reflect in our country, Vallabh said. According to Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), Government of India, Crude Oil Indian basket as on September 8 was $88.00 a barrel. On May 21, the government announced a cut in excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 and Rs 6 a litre, respectively.
According to Vallabh, after the polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur petrol and diesel prices were increased by nine times.
