Bengaluru: Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has defended the recent increase in petrol and diesel prices, stating that India has imposed one of the lowest fuel price hikes globally despite the ongoing international conflicts and energy crisis.
The clarification comes amid sharp criticism from opposition parties after fuel prices were increased by ₹3 per litre across the country. Addressing the issue with comparative global data, Joshi said India had increased fuel prices by only 3.2 per cent, while several countries witnessed far steeper hikes due to the ongoing instability in West Asia and disruptions in global oil supply chains.
According to the minister, countries such as the United States saw fuel prices rise by 44.5 percent, Sri Lanka by 38.2 percent, the United Kingdom by 19.2 percent and Germany by 13.7 percent. In comparison, India’s increase remained significantly lower despite the sharp rise in Brent crude oil prices in the international market.
Joshi pointed out that the Narendra Modi-led central government had earlier reduced excise duty by ₹10 in order to provide relief to citizens and control inflationary pressure. However, he said the unprecedented surge in global crude oil prices had made a limited increase in domestic fuel prices unavoidable.
The Union Minister accused the Congress party of indulging in “political hypocrisy” by criticising the Centre while allegedly increasing fuel taxes in Karnataka despite the absence of any major global oil crisis during that period.
Referring to the Karnataka government, Joshi claimed that the Congress administration had raised petrol VAT from 25.92 percent to 29.84 percent and diesel VAT from 14.34 percent to 18.44 percent in June 2024, resulting in a ₹3 per litre hike. He further alleged that diesel VAT was again increased to 21.17 percent from April 1, 2025, pushing diesel prices higher within a span of ten months.
Joshi also accused the Karnataka government of increasing prices of more than 50 essential commodities, making life difficult for common people while simultaneously criticising the Centre over fuel prices.
He maintained that citizens across the country understand the extraordinary global circumstances affecting oil markets and urged state governments to acknowledge the compulsions faced by the Centre in the current economic environment.
