The Congress party has expressed strong opposition to the recent ₹3 per litre increase in petrol and diesel prices, attributing the hike to the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the government, stating that the public will ultimately pay for the government's mistakes, and referred to the price increase as a '₹3 shock' that will lead to further incremental hikes. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge pointed out that the ongoing economic crisis in India is not solely due to global fuel prices, but also reflects a leadership crisis within the Modi administration. He argued that ordinary citizens are feeling the financial strain from rising costs associated with petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Randeep Surjewala, another Congress leader, highlighted that the Modi government has collected approximately ₹43 lakh crore (roughly $5.2 trillion USD) in taxes from fuel over the past 11 years, which translates to about ₹1,000 crore (approximately $120 million USD) daily since 2014. He further claimed that the BJP government has a pattern of increasing fuel prices following elections, which raises concerns about the government's commitment to economic stability.