Accusing the government of "looting" the people by raising the excise duty on petrol and diesel, the Congress on Sunday demanded accountability and called for the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to audit how government policies have benefited private companies.
The opposition party also urged the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate whether there had been deliberate negligence or collusion in this matter.
Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, "The people of India are being looted — on one hand the Modi government is increasing the tax burden and picking people's pockets, while on the other hand private and government oil companies are making profits! This is open economic exploitation!"
"The truth is: In May 2014, the excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.20 and on diesel Rs 3.46, which is now Rs 19.90 on petrol and Rs 15.80 on diesel in the Modi government — an increase of 357% and 54%!" he said in his post in Hindi.
Ramesh further claimed that the government had earned Rs 39.54 lakh crore from the petroleum sector over the past eleven years, but it had failed to provide any relief to the public.
"In May 2014, crude oil was USD 108 per barrel; today it is only USD 65.31 — i.e. 40% cheaper, yet the prices of petrol and diesel are higher than during the UPA era," Ramesh stated.
"In 2014, petrol in Delhi was Rs 71.41 and diesel Rs 55.49 per litre. Today, the same petrol is Rs 94.77 and diesel Rs 87.67 per litre — the public is being openly looted. Who is benefiting?" he asked.
The Congress leader pointed out that, alongside government oil companies, private oil firms were also making huge profits from refining and marketing while the common man faced the burden of high petrol and diesel prices.
"The issue is serious! The CAG should audit how the government’s policies benefited these private companies. The CVC and CBI should investigate whether there was deliberate negligence or collusion in this," Ramesh stated.
"Public money needs to be accounted for — accountability must be fixed," he asserted.
Ramesh also shared a media report which indicated that oil firms were profiting substantially but were now lowering prices for the public.
Last week, the Congress had also taken a swipe at the government over the excise duty hike on petrol and diesel, with Rahul Gandhi remarking that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had finally given a "befitting reply to tariffs."
Gandhi further claimed that people suffering from inflation had been given another "gift of government loot."
The government raised the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre each. The excise duty on petrol was hiked to Rs 13 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 10 per litre.
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