Lack of foresight, leadership in BJP: Kharge attacks PM on oil prices, Adani matter

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the fuel price hike, alleging that robbing common people and getting industrialist Gautam Adani a ''free pass'' from the US showed the PM's ''compromised model''.

Kharge accused the BJP of lacking foresight and leadership. He alleged that Modi had proved to be a failure on the economic front and his government should reflect on its failures and seek solutions by taking everyone along.

His remarks came after petrol and diesel prices were hiked by about 90 paise per litre on Tuesday, marking the second increase in fuel rates in less than a week after state-run oil firms ended a nearly four-year freeze on revisions.

''Just four days after the price hike, the Modi government has once again increased the prices of petrol and diesel. Having set the stage, preaching about savings while shifting the burden of their failures onto the public - this effort is in full swing,'' Kharge alleged on X.

''Robbing the common people and giving Adani a free pass from America - this is Modiji's Compromised Model,'' the Congress chief alleged.

Kharge was referring to the US Department of Justice permanently dropping all criminal charges against industrialist Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar, bringing a high-profile securities and wire fraud case in New York to a complete close after prosecutors concluded they could not sustain the allegations.

Referring to the issue of purchase of Russian oil, Kharge said, ''Modi ji, who fills the air with false pride about being the 'vishwaguru', has begged and pleaded with America for a one-month extension on 'permission' to buy Russian oil. Every time he does this, he hurts the pride of 1.4 billion Indians. No previous government has ever stooped to this level''.

''Now the question is: if, according to the government, we've been ''allowed'' to do this, then why burden the common people with the weight of petrol-diesel price hikes?'' he asked.

''I repeat once again - there is a lack of foresight and leadership in the BJP,'' Kharge said.

A temporary US sanctions waiver allowing the sale and delivery of Russian seaborne crude expired on May 16, marking the second time Washington has allowed the relief measure to lapse without a timely extension. The extension was issued a couple of days later.

The general licence, first issued by the US Treasury Department in mid-March and extended in April, was meant to ease pressure in global energy markets after the US-Israeli war against Iran triggered the largest-ever oil supply disruption.

A senior petroleum ministry official said on Monday that India has been purchasing Russian oil irrespective of US sanctions waivers and will continue to do so based on commercial viability and energy security needs.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said when the crisis hit, BJP leaders were busy with elections and then they spun slippery words to devise a plan for the ''loot'' and ''in the meantime, got their dearest friend off the hook too!''.

''You don't become a 'vishwaguru' just by doing sponsored PR abroad... Modi ji, you have to ensure accountability to the people.

''Don't run from the real questions... The public has no interest in how you eat your mangoes or which tonic you drink,'' the Congress president said.

''If you respond by saying what you're actually doing about the crisis, only then will you be called the people's true 'Pradhan Sevak'; otherwise, you'll remain nothing more than a mere 'pracharak' (propagandist),'' Kharge claimed.

Talking to reporters, Kharge said Petrol-diesel and LPG prices were rising, and fertilizer prices would increase too.

''I want to ask Narendra Modi - didn't you think of this before?,'' he asked.

The situation was like a world war, he said.

''Attacks are happening on other Arab countries too, but Narendra Modi kept telling the country that there is no problem,'' Kharge said.

The value of the rupee was falling continuously and in a few days, it would touch 100 to a dollar, he said.

''The reality is that Narendra Modi has proven to be a failure on the economic front,'' he said.

''Narendra Modi keeps travelling abroad, but he doesn't tell the country what agreements were made with different countries during these trips? Were MOUs signed? How much investment came in?.

''The Modi government should reflect on its failures and seek solutions by taking everyone along,'' Kharge told reporters.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)