Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (May 18, 2026) accused the government of lacking foresight and keeping the state of the economy hidden from the people before Assembly elections.

His remarks came after the government hiked Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) prices on Sunday (May 17, 2026). It was the second increase in rate in the past one week.

Petrol and diesel prices were raised by ₹3 per litre on Friday (May 15, 2026) last as surging global crude prices following the Iran war forced state-run fuel retailers to pass on part of their mounting losses after months of holding rates steady through key State elections.

In a post on X in Hindi, Mr. Kharge said, "If Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the prices of petrol, diesel, and other commodities before the elections, he would have suffered significant losses.

"The Modi government kept everything hidden from the country until the elections, but once the elections were over, prices of everything increased," he said.

"The BJP government and Mr. Modi lack foresight," he alleged and added, "that is why it didn't foresee this price rise coming".

"We will raise this issue because inflation is continuously rising due to the BJP government. The poor in the country are not even able to get the essential goods they deserve," he said.