Arvind Kejriwal Attacks PM Modi Over Fuel Price Hikes, BJP Calls It "Deliberately Misleading"

After petrol and diesel prices were increased by over Rs 2 in less than a fortnight, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal attacked PM Narendra Modi over why the centre was not buying fuel from Russia and Iran.

In an X post, the former Delhi CM said, "Oil prices have risen again. Russia and Iran are offering us cheaper and sufficient oil and gas. Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi not buying cheap oil from them?”.

Further, he noted that 140 crore people in the country were battling inflations concerns.

“What are the prime minister’s compulsions? 140 crore people are forced to face hardships, yet we are not buying oil from Russia or Iran," he questioned.

However, it's factually incorrect as India has never halted buying Russian oil.

In one of the briefings on the West Asia conflict, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at MoPNG, noted that India was buying Russian oil, and will continue to buy it.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal has also urged people to send him their views on the fuel price hike matter.

As part of the latest fuel price hike, petrol prices rose by Rs 2.61 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.71 on Monday, as oil companies continued passing on the impact of soaring global crude prices triggered by the Iran conflict.

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BJP Dubs Kejriwal's Russian Oil Remark As "Deliberately Misleading"

Sharing Kejriwal's post, BJP's Amit Malviya said this propaganda is not only "incomplete but deliberately misleading".

"Russia is today India's largest oil supplier. India imports the highest amount of 2.3 million barrels of oil per day from Russia. The real question is this: Crude oil prices surged worldwide due to the war and the Hormuz crisis, yet India remained one of the few countries where the government repeatedly reduced petrol and diesel prices to provide relief to the public," Malviya penned in an X post.

As per him, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Hormuz crisis, India remained the only major country to lower fuel prices, while prices kept rising steadily in the rest of the world."

And yes, the final price displayed at petrol pumps also includes a significant VAT from state governments. In states governed by Congress and the INDIA bloc, higher VAT means the public pays more. Further, Malviya noted that the narrative of "Why isn't Modi ji buying oil from Russia" is not a fact—it's just a political slogan."