'People are forced to travel in bullock carts': Congress stages protest over fuel, milk price hike

NEW DELHI: Congress workers on Saturday staged a protest against rising prices of petrol, diesel and milk, with party leaders arriving in bullock carts to highlight what they described as the growing burden of inflation on the public.Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav said the protest was aimed at drawing attention to the rising cost of essential commodities under the centre.“This is our fight, and this is the fight of the people. We will fight this. This is a very serious matter, and it is being repeated again and again. They came to power in 2014, and in 12 years of rule, they have doubled inflation. Whether it is the price of fuel, vegetables, milk, LPG, or CNG, this government has continuously increased inflation and has not taken any effective steps to provide relief to the people,” Yadav said.Commenting on the hike in fuel prices, Yadav added, “people are being forced to travel by bullock carts.”Congress leaders and workers raised slogans during the demonstration, accusing the government of failing to control inflation and provide relief to consumers facing rising daily expenses.The protest followed a fuel price hike of around Rs 3 per litre announced by public sector oil marketing companies on Friday, pushing petrol and diesel prices higher across major metro cities. In Delhi, petrol prices rose to nearly Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel climbed to Rs 90.67 per litre.The increase comes amid continued disruptions in global energy supplies linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Global crude oil prices have surged from around $70 per barrel before the conflict to nearly $105, although fuel prices in India had largely remained unchanged until the latest revision.Oil company executives said further hikes could not be ruled out, but any additional increase would depend on government approval and decisions regarding the timing and extent of revisions. Despite the latest rise, state-run fuel retailers are still not fully recovering costs. According to Crisil, oil marketing companies are currently losing around Rs 10 per litre on petrol and Rs 13 per litre on diesel.Fuel prices had remained largely unchanged since April 2022, except for a Rs 2 per litre excise duty cut announced by the Centre in March 2024. Meanwhile, prices of piped cooking gas have not been revised.