Modi government believes in cruel taxation, imprudent borrowing: Chidambaram

The Congress, meanwhile, reiterated its demand that petrol and diesel must be brought under the GST.

"Crude oil price has fallen from USD 108 in May 2014 to USD 77 in April 2018. Then, why are petrol and diesel prices today higher than prices in May 2014?" said Chidambaram in a series og tweets.

"BJP government is anti-poor and anti-middle class. These are the sections that have to bear the burden of high petrol and diesel prices.

"BJP government believes in two things (1) cruel taxation and (2) imprudent borrowing. Thank god this is the last year of the present government," he said.

The petrol price in Delhi touched a near-five year high of Rs 73.83 a litre on Monday while the price of diesel also touched a fresh record high in the national capital, supported by the recent surge in global crude oil prices.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said BJP's pre-election slogans have now become a "cruel joke" on common people, but the its government was "unmoved, unresponsive and unbearable".

Accusing it of betraying the trust of common people, he said it has "miserably failed to curtail the rise in fuel prices and busy filling the treasury coffers at the expense of the ordinary citizens" and reiterated the partys' demand that petrol and diesel must be brought under the GST.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Surjewala said: "Modi's previous tweets on petrol-diesel prices now mock us in the face and serve as a constant reminder that one should never trust the BJP and its tall promises."

"Post May 26, 2014, international crude oil prices have come down by more than 30 per cent. BJP government earned a windfall of Rs. 7.35 lakh crore by levying various central taxes on petrol/diesel (till the Q2 of 2017-18). Where has the money gone?" he asked.