Hikes in prices of petrol and diesel prices for the sixteenth consecutive day have seen consumers take to social media to vent their spleen against the Indian government.
Retail prices of fuel are going up despite the international price of crude cooling off since January and more so after the Covid-19 pandemic. This, however, has had no impact on the retail price of petrol and diesel. Compared INR 71.30 per litre on June 6, the cost of petrol had risen to INR 79.60 per litre on June 22.
Congress politician and former petroleum minister M. Veerappa Moily termed Modi government’s decision to increase the price of petrol and diesel despite the slump in crude prices as “sadistic”. “The Centre is fleecing people amid Covid-19", he added.
Exasperated social media users are up in arms against the fuel price hike as it is impacting the consumers as the economy opens up after the Covid-19 lockdown.
ABSOLUTELY Sadistic and disturbing is the petrol, diesel price hike....
— GEORGE KALLIVAYALIL (@KALLIVAYALIL) June 22, 2020
Twitter users called the hike sadistic and described Modi supporters as "masochistic".
It really is sadistic on part of the government and masochistic on part of bhakts who are still defending this government. 😂😂😂
— Prime Minister Deepu Thomas (@Deepu_V_Thomas) June 22, 2020
But others blamed Congress ruled state governments for raising state taxes on fuel.
Sadistic🤔🤔🤔...ok let's say govt is wrong..y did Congress state govts increase taxes then??
— Practical_Indian (@uniqueindian12) June 22, 2020
Remember when fuel price hike used to create outrage among everyone- film stars, activists and the common man alike?
— Zeba Warsi (@Zebaism) June 22, 2020
Petrol and Diesel prices have been hiked for 16 consecutive days now. #FuelPriceHike
Fuel prices are being hiked continuously for the last 15 days. Diesel is at a lifetime high. https://t.co/ZemdxFVxSR
— Faye DSouza (@fayedsouza) June 22, 2020
When crude oil prices reduced, Government increased taxes and neutralize it. After that when crude price increased they fuel price. Can we say fuel prices is regulated with market price?
— K.L.Sarkar (@KlSarkar_K) June 22, 2020
India imports about 80 percent of its crude oil.
In an estimate, a reduction of one dollar in crude oil prices per barrel results in savings of $1.5 billion on India's oil import bill. The oil import bill was $112 billion during 2018-19. India paid an estimated $87.7 billion for imported crude oil between April 2019 and December 2019.
