BJP Defends Fuel Price Hike Amid Global Rise

The BJP recently defended India’s decision to increase fuel prices by ₹3 per litre for petrol and diesel, which was the first hike in over four years. They argued that despite a global surge in oil prices, India managed to protect citizens from price shocks for two months, implementing only a small and controlled increase.

Petrol and diesel prices were raised after oil marketing companies faced heavy losses due to rising international crude oil costs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested ways to reduce fuel use, such as using public transport and electric vehicles, to save foreign exchange reserves during the West Asia crisis.

BJP IT head Amit Malviya claimed India’s price increase was one of the smallest among major economies, with petrol up by 3.2% and diesel by 3.4%. He explained that the ₹3 per litre hike on a base price of ₹95 translates to about a 3.5% increase.

Malviya highlighted that public sector oil companies absorbed most of the cost for 76 days after the crisis began, preventing higher prices for consumers. He noted that fuel prices in other countries rose sharply, with some seeing increases over 50%, while India kept its rise to around 3%.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticized the Congress for political gains during the energy crisis, emphasizing that India’s price increase was minimal compared to global averages.

The BJP stressed that keeping fuel prices low helps control inflation, as it affects transportation, food costs, and household budgets. They argued that India successfully limited price rises while other countries faced much higher increases.