Central govt looting people: Sachin Pilot on rising fuel prices

Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Monday questioned the silence of BJP leaders on inflation and rising fuel prices.

The central government is looting people of their hard-earned money by unexpectedly increasing the prices of petrol, diesel, and domestic gas, the Congress leader said in a tweet in Hindi.

He said during the tenure of the Congress-led UPA government, BJP leaders used to "make a lot of noise over the issue of inflation but now they are silent.

In 12 days, retail petrol prices have risen by Rs 3.63 a litre, a record since the pricing was deregulated in 2010, and diesel rates have gone up by Rs 3.84.

Petrol price has already surged past the Rs 100-mark in some places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which levy the highest VAT on the fuel. On Saturday, petrol price touched an all-time high of Rs 97 per litre in Mumbai while diesel rate crossed Rs 88-mark.