Rajasthan / Direct attack on common man's pockets: Sachin Pilot on fuel prices

Jaipur: Congress leader Sachin Pilot has cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre over the surging fuel prices in the country saying that it's a direct attack on the pockets of the common man.

"It is beyond imagination that the prices of petrol have crossed Rs 100 in more than 250 cities in the country. This year alone, so far, the government has increased the price of petrol a total of 66 times," ANI quoted Pilot as saying in Dehradun on Friday.

"As per the government’s own figures, the excise on petrol has increased by 250 per cent while 800 per cent on diesel in the last seven years which has got them a revenue of Rs 25 lakh crores. This is nothing but a direct attack on the pockets of common man,” he added.

With the price rise over the past two months, fuel rates have been revised upwards in 30 out of 77 days between May, June and July up to now to take the retail rates to new highs across the country. It had remained unchanged for 37 days.

The Congress party has been holding protests against the hike in fuel prices across the country demanding relief for the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pilot attacks Centre over COVID mismanagement The senior Congress

The senior Congress leader also attacked the Centre accusing it of 'completely failing' to deal with the second wave of COVID-19 during which lakhs of people died as patients scrambled for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds and medicine.

With as many as 38,079 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of infections in the country has reached 3,10,64,908.

The death toll has mounted to 4,13,091 with 560 more fatalities, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.