Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday (June 7) criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of gas and fuel price hike and said that it was being done in a phased manner to avoid public backlash while steadily disturbing household budgets.

Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Mr. Pawar said, “He [Mr. Modi] assured people of keeping inflation in check but that is not happening. The ruling party will have to pay a political price for this at the right time.” Speaking to presspersons in Baramati, he said, “The hike started with two rupees but slowly it has only piled up, affecting people.”

Mr. Pawar’s statement comes in the wake of increase in price of domestic cooking gas by ₹29 per cylinder, which is the second increase in price in the past three months. The same pattern in price rise of fuels has been seen over the last the three months.

Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar alleged that the BJP was not concerned about issues affecting ordinary people like it had been when it was in the Opposition. “During the Congress government, they used to raise voice on the price rise of fuels and gas but now they are maintaining silence,” he said.