Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on 15 May shared a political cartoon on social media, focusing on the rising cost of fuel amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity and subsequent rise in fuel prices.
The cartoon depicts Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, riding a bicycle, his party’s symbol. Akhilesh is passing by a large billboard that conveys a message from the Prime Minister, “Spend less on petrol: PM.”
Sharing the image on X, Yadav captioned the post: “Aage badhna hai to cycle hi vikalp hai” (I’ve said it from the start: there is nothing better than the bicycle!). Bicycle is election symbol of Samajwadi Party, the opposition in Uttar Pradesh where assembly polls are due next year.
The story is set against the backdrop of an economic crunch and soaring fuel prices due to the West Asia crisis.
Petrol price hike today
Petrol and diesel prices were increased by ₹3 per litre on Friday after state-owned oil firms ended a four-year record hiatus in rate revisions. Soon after petrol price, CNG prices hiked by ₹2 in Delhi from today., 15 May.
The fuel price hike comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modiappealed to citizens to adopt austerity measures to conserve foreign exchange by reducing imports of crude oil and precious metals.
PM Modi, in his seven-point appeal, requested citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using the metro and public transport wherever available, opting for carpooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railway transport for the movement of goods, and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible.
The price hike also comes less than two weeks after state assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Polls in Assam and Kerala were held on 9 April, in Tamil Nadu and the first phase of voting in West Bengal on 23 April, and ended in 29 April with the second phase of polling in West Bengal. The results were announced on 4 May.
Congress on fuel price hike
The Congress party linked the fuel price hike to the completion of the Assembly election in four states and one union territory, saying that PM Modi’s “vasooli (extortion) begins” after the elections.
In New Delhi, the petrol prices rose from ₹94.77 to ₹97.77 per litre, while diesel prices increased from ₹87.67 to ₹90.67 per litre.
This comes amid a call for fuel conservation as the world faces an energy crisis amid the West Asia conflict, which led to a blockade in the significant maritime trade route, the Strait of Hormuz.
The Brent oil prices have been at a record high in the wake of the US-Israel and Iran war, which began on February 28 this year. The Brent oil price has been hovering over USD 100 per barrel as the US and Iran are attempting to mediate for a long-term ceasefire in the region.
Aage badhna hai to cycle hi vikalp hai.
The widening of the ambit of the war engulfed the West Asian countries, which are major suppliers of fuel.
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