Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) on Saturday criticised the Centre over the fuel price hike, alleging that the public has been pushed deeper into inflationary distress, according to an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

“The ‘suppressed truth’ regarding the price hike of petrol and diesel has finally come out in the open as the prices have been hiked by Rs 3 per litre. This price rise took effect just two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP Chief Ministers suddenly preached the virtues of conserving fuel. The public gave the BJP power three consecutive times and handed it three of the five states. In return, the Centre has given the public the ‘return gift’ of inflation,” the editorial said.

The Thackeray camp claimed that the government had kept its lips tightly sealed regarding fuel prices until the elections in five states were concluded. At that time, BJP members and their sycophants were making tall claims about how PM Modi had insulated India from the impact of the Iran War, saving citizens from fuel shortages and price hikes, it said.

However, no sooner had the elections concluded and the BJP’s victory celebrations — marked by massive roadshows involving hundreds of vehicles that consumed lakhs of litres of fuel — came to an end, than the Prime Minister suddenly developed a strong concern for ‘austerity and foreign exchange conservation’,” it said.

The editorial said that the government had a sudden realisation about the nation’s looming fuel crisis, the drain on foreign exchange reserves due to gold imports, and the massive depreciation of the Indian Rupee. Following this realisation, the PM made an appeal for conservation to the public. When the opposition criticised this move, anxious BJP leaders put them in the dock.

“But what do they have to say now about the government’s latest fuel hike? By raising fuel prices and increasing the import duty on gold, the government has effectively proven the opposition’s allegations right,” it remarked.

According to the editorial, the war in the Gulf has been ongoing for nearly three months, impacting economies worldwide. Yet, the ruling party beat the drums, claiming that India remained unaffected solely due to PM Modi. Today, the government itself has been forced to burst that bubble.

“Within just three days of PM Modi’s appeal for austerity, the government pushed the public into the wildfire of inflation. The prices of gold and silver are already beyond reach. Milk has become dearer by two rupees. Now, with petrol and diesel becoming expensive, the prices of everything from vegetables and fruits to all essential commodities will rise. Moreover, who is to say that this price hike in petrol and diesel will stop here? If the war situation in the Gulf does not settle down, these prices will certainly rise further,” commented the Thackeray camp.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that though hardline devotees often hail Modi as a ‘Vishwaguru,’ it has now become crystal clear that handling the Gulf War, the resulting global crisis, and its severe repercussions on India is completely beyond Modi’s capacity.

–IANS

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