Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy criticised the Union Government’s decision to increase petrol and diesel prices, stating that the move would severely impact the common man and trigger a rise in the prices of essential commodities.

In a post on social media platforms, Mr. Reddy said the fuel price hike under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “completely unjustifiable” and would negatively affect multiple sectors of the economy. He warned that the increase in fuel costs would inevitably lead to inflationary pressure, making daily essentials more expensive for ordinary citizens.

The Telangana Chief Minister accused the Modi government of mismanaging the economy through “inefficient governance and ill-conceived policies.” He said the slogan of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” had remained only an election slogan and failed to deliver tangible economic results. According to him, small and medium-scale industries have suffered setbacks, employment opportunities for youth have weakened, and the promise of doubling farmers’ incomes has remained unfulfilled.

Mr. Reddy further stated that the value of the Indian rupee has been steadily declining over the last decade and claimed that the situation had now reached its worst phase. The Centre was using the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict as a pretext to raise fuel prices, thereby placing an additional burden on the public.

Questioning the Centre’s claims of making India the world’s third-largest economy, he asked how the government could justify increasing fuel prices at a time when citizens were already facing economic hardship.

The Chief Minister also accused the BJP-led government of misleading the public ahead of the recent Assembly elections in four States and one Union Territory where it repeatedly assured people before the polls that petroleum prices would not be increased , but raised prices by more than ₹3 within days of the election results.

Calling the move a “breach of public trust,” the Chief Minister alleged that the BJP was making false promises merely for electoral gains. He demanded that the Central Government immediately withdraw the hike in petrol and diesel prices.