The ruling Congress in Karnataka on Monday, May 25, launched a sharp attack on the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent increase in petrol and diesel prices, alleging what it called “fuel loot” and demanding an immediate rollback of the hike.
At a joint press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned the rationale behind the fuel price increase despite a decline in crude oil prices.
The leaders pointed out that petrol and diesel prices were increased by Rs 2.61–2.71 per litre on Monday, marking the fourth hike in less than two weeks, as state-run fuel retailers passed on higher international oil prices to consumers.
Surjewala alleged that petrol prices in Bengaluru had crossed Rs 110 per litre for the first time in 78 years, calling the situation “unprecedented” and “burdensome” for households, farmers, and small businesses. He further claimed that fuel prices had risen by Rs 7.52 per litre over the last 11 days.
Accusing the Union government of excessive taxation, he said the government had collected massive revenues from fuel over the years and described the recent hikes as “unjustified” given falling crude oil prices. He also demanded an immediate rollback of petrol, diesel, LPG, and CNG prices.
The Congress leader further alleged that the Union government had collected significant funds through taxation and financial measures involving the Reserve Bank of India, calling it part of a broader pattern of economic burden on citizens.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the repeated fuel price hikes contradicted earlier promises of economic relief, referring to Prime Minister Modi’s assurances of “achhe din” (good days). He said rising fuel prices were driving inflation and affecting farmers, transport operators, and ordinary citizens.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced that the Congress would organise protests across all district centres on May 30, followed by demonstrations at the Assembly segment level.
He also urged opposition leaders to press the Union government to reduce fuel prices instead of targeting the state government on taxation issues.
The Congress leaders argued that even when global crude oil prices were lower than in earlier years, the benefit was not being passed on to consumers, leading to continued hardship for the public.
The press conference also included the release of a detailed statement outlining a series of comparisons and allegations. It stated that petrol prices in Bengaluru had risen from Rs 71.41 per litre in 2014 to around Rs 110.93 per litre in 2026, and diesel from Rs 56.71 to Rs 98.89 during the same period. The statement also claimed that, based on crude oil trends, petrol and diesel prices should be significantly lower than current retail prices.
It further stated that the Union government had collected around Rs 43 lakh crore through excise and customs duties on petrol and diesel since 2014, averaging nearly Rs 1,000 crore per day, along with an additional Rs 14 lakh crore through financial measures involving the Reserve Bank of India. This, the Congress claimed, amounted to a total of Rs 57 lakh crore in revenue over 12 years.
The statement also highlighted repeated revisions in excise duty on fuel and alleged multiple hikes since 2014, along with sharp increases in LPG and commercial LPG prices. It said domestic LPG cylinders had risen from about Rs 412 in 2014 to over Rs 915 in 2026, while commercial LPG prices had more than doubled during the same period.
It further alleged multiple recent hikes in LPG and CNG rates, arguing that rising fuel and cooking gas costs were driving inflation and severely impacting households, farmers, transporters, and small businesses.
