Ashok Gehlot targets BJP over fuel price hike amid tussle for power in Karnataka

Congress national general secretary Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday, holding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responsible for fuel prices hike, said that fuel prices that remained stagnant for 19 days have started rising again after the Karnataka election results.

After a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, petrol price was hiked on May 14 by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise as PSU oil firms began passing on the spike witnessed in international rates to consumers.

"Fuel prices remained stagnant for 19 days and have started rising again. What is surprising is that the government has now resumed daily price revision of fuel right after Karnataka elections 2018 came to an end. How did government manage to keep prices stable for 19 days?" Gehlot said in a statement.

Gehlot also took to Twitter and wrote that the rising fuel price was a huge burden for common people. He held the BJP responsible for the situation.

"It is bewildering to note that government is fleecing public of its hard earned money. Since the BJP has come to power, we have only seen prices go up of petrol and diesel," he said in a tweet.

Oil PSUs had kept rates unchanged for nearly three weeks before Karnataka went to polls despite input cost spiking. They, however, reverted to daily revision in prices no sooner elections were held in the state on May 12.