Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday reacted to the BJP-led Central government’s decision to cut petrol and diesel prices by ₹2 per litre, saying the same kind of “sleight of hand” was witnessed in increasing the LPG price and then reducing it before elections.

“I had said at a media briefing last week that prices of petrol and diesel will be reduced. It was done today,” Chidambaram wrote on X. “Will the government say that the prices will not be increased after the elections (if the BJP comes to power again)?”

He claimed that earlier the price of LPG cylinders was increased by ₹700 by the BJP government and then reduced by ₹100 ahead of the elections.

“The same kind of sleight of hand has been practised in the case of Petrol and Diesel,” Chidambaram said.

Petrol, diesel prices slashed

State-run oil marketing companies slashed pump prices of petrol and diesel by ₹2 per litre from Friday, continuing a spree of pre-election incentives to consumers that saw reductions in the rates of cooking gas and compressed natural gas for automobiles earlier this month.

The announcement about the reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel was made on social media platform X by the petroleum ministry late on Thursday night.

In a post on X, petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Hindi, “By reducing the price of petrol and diesel by ₹2, the country’s accomplished Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji has once again proved that the welfare and comfort of his family of crores of Indians is always his goal.” It is expected that some BJP-ruled states, such as Rajasthan, may cut value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel as was promised by the PM during the recent assembly polls, a government official said, requesting anonymity.

In Delhi, one litre of petrol will be sold for ₹94.72 and diesel at ₹87.62 from 6am on Friday. Rates will vary from city to city due to differences in local levies. The ministry, however, said that the oil marketing companies (OMCs) informed it about the move to revise fuel rates.