First came Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to spend less on fuel, fertilizer, and travel. Five days later, the Centre hiked the petrol and diesel prices across India.
Predictably, it started a Congress vs BJP over the fuel price hike.
In Delhi, petrol prices increased by Rs 3 to Rs 97.77 per litre and diesel to Rs 90.67. Petrol in Mumbai now costs Rs 106.68 a litre and diesel comes for Rs 93.14 per litre, while in Chennai, prices increased to Rs 103.67 for petrol and Rs 95.25 for diesel.
Rates vary across states due to differences in value-added tax.
Read | Fuel Up Rs 3: Why Petrol, Diesel Prices Rose After Weeks Of Centre Holding The Line
Speaking about the hike in fuel prices, Arvind Kumar, Director (Refineries), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), told news agency ANI that amid global pressures, "it is a very small rise."
The Congress hinted that with the polls over, the move was imminent.
The fuel price hike comes 16 days after assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The move, the Congress claimed, is bound to lead to further inflation and growth estimates will be lowered considerably.
The BJP, however, accused the Opposition party of politicising the issue when the world is facing an energy crisis.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed that India is witnessing about a 3.5 per cent hike in fuel prices, less than several countries across the globe.
The BJP leader defended the price hike, citing the Brent crude price, which is hovering over $100 per barrel.
"The Congress Party should be ashamed of itself to politicise everything! Congress is a party which always looks at political opportunity in any global crisis, only to have egg on their face! Despite Brent crude staying above USD 100/barrel and fuel prices surging globally after the Strait of Hormuz crisis, India has seen only a Rs 3.5 per cent increase in petrol & diesel prices after 76 days of stable prices!" Bhandari posted on X.
The BJP spokesperson then compared the price rise to other countries and underscored that it is "time for economic patriotism".
"Compare that to: Pakistan: +55 per cent, Malaysia: +56 per cent, US: +45 per cent, UAE: +52 per cent, China +23 per cent, France +31 per cent. This is a time for economic patriotism. 140 crore Indians are with PM Narendra Modi Ji & Congress yet again is getting exposed because of its desperate politics," his post read.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju too same a similar argument, saying that while many countries witnessed petrol and diesel hikes, India limited the increase to just +3.2% for petrol & +3.4% for diesel.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya claimed that India emerged as a 'striking exception' amid a sharp rise in global fuel prices triggered by ongoing West Asia conflict and disruption in crude oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
All India Transporters' Welfare Association joint secretary Sunil Agarwal told PTI that the hike was "quite expected" in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation, and estimated, "The rise will have around 3 per cent impact on freight costs".
He urged the government to explore the possibility of reducing state levies to neutralise the impact of the fuel price hike.
State-owned oil firms had kept fuel price unchanged for 11 weeks despite a surge in input cost, but passed on part of the increase once operations became financially unsustainable, the sources said.
Earlier on May 12, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said India had ensured uninterrupted supplies of petrol, diesel and LPG despite global volatility and supply shocks.
Addressing the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, Puri said fuel prices in India had largely remained stable since 2022 due to strong policy coordination and effective supply management.
"If you look at the fiscal situation, if you look at the fact that my oil companies are losing Rs 1,000 crores every day, the under recovery is going to be Rs 1,98,000 crores. The losses are Rs 1 lakh crore, if you look at the quarter. In that context, how long can you keep it like this? Where is the oil? It used to be around $64 or $65. It has gone up to $115 in that basket," he said.
