‘People being plundered’: Vijayan attacks Centre over fuel price hike

Senior CPI(M) leader and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the latest fuel price hike, accusing the government of deepening the financial distress of ordinary citizens while protecting corporate interests.

In a strongly worded statement, Vijayan described the Rs 3-per-litre increase in petrol and diesel prices as a “cruel betrayal” at a time when inflation and rising living costs are already straining household budgets.

“Instead of reducing the burden on people struggling with inflation, the government has chosen to intensify their misery through repeated fuel price hikes,” Vijayan said.

The CPI(M) veteran warned that the hike would trigger another round of price escalation across sectors, increasing transportation costs and pushing up prices of essential commodities.

According to him, workers, farmers and middle-class families would be hit the hardest by the decision.

“The latest fuel hike will have a cascading effect on transportation charges and the prices of essential goods, worsening the hardships faced by ordinary people,” he said.

Vijayan alleged that the Union government failed to pass on the benefits of lower global crude oil prices to consumers when international rates had declined.

He claimed the Centre was now using losses suffered by oil companies as justification for burdening citizens with higher fuel prices.

“The government is plundering the people to protect corporate interests,” he alleged.

The former Kerala chief minister also connected the latest increase in petrol and diesel prices to rising cooking gas prices and LPG shortages, arguing that flawed central policies had already made everyday life difficult for millions of households.

He said governments were expected to support citizens during difficult economic conditions rather than worsen their suffering through repeated price increases.

Demanding immediate intervention, Vijayan urged the Centre to withdraw what he termed an “unjust decision”.

The fuel price hike announced on Friday marks the first increase in petrol and diesel rates in more than four years and comes amid rising global crude prices linked to tensions in West Asia.

With IANS inputs