Bengaluru, March 27 (AHN) Senior BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Friday hit back at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar over his criticism of fuel pricing, accusing the Congress-led state government of burdening people through repeated tax hikes on petrol and diesel.

In a media statement, Ashoka said it was “ironic and laughable” that Shivakumar was speaking about rising fuel prices while the state government itself had increased taxes, making fuel costlier for citizens.

He alleged that since coming to power in May 2023, the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has treated fuel as a major source of revenue to compensate for fiscal mismanagement.

Ashoka claimed that the government had raised petrol prices by around Rs 3 per litre and diesel by about Rs 3.5 per litre in June 2024 through a sales tax hike.

He further alleged that diesel prices were increased again by Rs 2 per litre in April 2025. According to him, these decisions have resulted in diesel in Karnataka becoming over Rs 5.5 per litre costlier solely due to state-imposed taxes.

Questioning Shivakumar’s remarks against the Centre, Ashoka asked why the state government continued to “punish farmers, transporters and commuters” through higher fuel prices.

He also responded to the Deputy Chief Minister’s query on fuel revenues by referring to the Congress-led UPA government’s issuance of oil bonds between 2005 and 2010, which he said deferred subsidy costs to future governments.

Ashoka stated that the current NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still servicing liabilities arising from those bonds, which he claimed have crossed Rs 1.5 lakh crore, including interest.

He accused Congress of taking credit for lower fuel prices in the past while shifting the financial burden to future taxpayers.

Drawing a comparison between the Centre and the state, Ashoka said that when the Union government adjusted excise duty in April 2025, it ensured there was no impact on retail consumers. In contrast, he alleged that any increase in fuel taxes by the Karnataka government directly affected consumers.

He further criticised the state government’s fiscal approach, alleging that it viewed petrol and diesel as a “cash cow” to manage budgetary pressures.

Ashoka challenged the Congress leadership to roll back the alleged Rs 5.5 per litre increase in diesel prices if it was genuinely concerned about the public.

Calling for accountability, he said the people of Karnataka could see through what he described as “tax-and-blame politics” and urged the government to provide tangible relief instead of engaging in rhetoric.