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New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday lashed out at the Union government after the third fuel price hike in eight days, accusing the ruling BJP of ‘looting’ the citizens with regular hikes in fuel rates and not passing on the benefits when the global crude oil prices were lower.

In a Hindi post on Congress chief Kharge said there was a “leadership crisis” in the government and while several countries were offering relief to the citizens amid global economic pressures, India was seeing continuous hikes in petrolDiesel prices.

This is installment-based looting of the public’s earnings,” charges allegedaccusing the government of imposing heavy indirect taxes on petrol and diesel. As part of the growing Congress on petrol, diesel price hike attackhe further claimed that the Center was collecting nearly Rs 1,000 crore daily through fuel taxes.

Kharge also argued that during periods of lower international crude oil prices, the benefits were not passed on to consumers. He said that instead of providing relief during global crises, the government had resorted to frequent fuel price revisions.

Citing international examples, the Congress president said countries such as Italy, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland had reduced fuel taxes or offered direct relief measures to ease the burden on citizens.

The Congress president also gave examples of international countries like Italy, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland that had either slashed fuel taxes or given direct relief measures to ease the burden on citizens.

He also accused the Prime Minister of being “inactive in global crises” while other governments took measures to reduce fuel prices and curb inflation on households.

Meanwhile, state-owned oil marketing companies on Saturday raised petrol and diesel prices by 87-91 paise per litre, the third fuel price hike in just eight days in India. This is after two earlier hikes of ₹3 per liter on May 15 and about 90 paise on May 19 with the total increase adding up to nearly ₹5 per liter in a short span.

Industry sources said the latest adjustments reflect rising international crude oil prices after a prolonged freeze in retail fuel rates. The successive hikes in petrol, diesel prices India have raised concerns over inflationary pressure, particularly on transport and essential commodities.

With fuel prices nearing or crossing the ₹100 per liter mark in several regions, the latest revisions are expected to put additional pressure on household budgets and business costs across the country.