Congress protests 4 fuel price hikes in Maharashtra in 8 days
Synopsis
Four fuel price hikes in eight days have pushed Maharashtra's opposition onto the streets, with Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal accusing the BJP of indifference to citizen hardship and NCP-SP warning of a statewide agitation. The protests are layered — fuel costs, onion MSP, and export policy are all live grievances — making this a multi-front pressure campaign that the ruling Mahayuti coalition cannot easily dismiss.
Key Takeaways
Harshwardhan Sapkal , Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, led a protest in Mumbai on 27 May against four fuel price hikes in eight days .
Sapkal alleged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was 'blatantly lying' about petrol and diesel stock levels.
NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) state president Shashikant Shinde warned of a 'massive statewide agitation' if farmer injustice continued.
The MVA has demanded an onion MSP of ₹3,000 per quintal ; protests including road blockades were held in Chandwad , Sambhajinagar , Junnar , and Otur .
Several farmers and party workers were detained by police during the demonstrations.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Wednesday, 27 May led a street protest in Mumbai against four successive hikes in petrol and diesel prices over the preceding eight days, calling the increases a direct assault on ordinary citizens already battered by inflation.
What the Opposition Said
Addressing reporters, Sapkal launched a sharp attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'The BJP government has crippled the common man by imposing steep price hikes on petrol, diesel, LPG, and CNG. The PM Modi government has pushed inflation-hit citizens further into hardship through rising fuel prices,' he said.
Sapkal went further, alleging a supply crisis on the ground. 'There is no petrol, no diesel, LPG cylinders are missing, fuel prices have skyrocketed, farmers are not getting fair prices for their produce, and the public is distressed, yet the BJP government remains indifferent,' he alleged. He also claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was 'blatantly lying' about fuel stock levels, questioning why citizens were queuing at petrol pumps in 'scorching afternoon heat' if supplies were adequate. 'If the government believes hoarding is taking place, then strict action should be taken,' he added.
NCP-SP Warns of Statewide Agitation
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) state president Shashikant Shinde separately warned that a 'massive statewide agitation' would follow if injustice against farmers continued. Shinde said recent opposition protests had 'clearly shaken' the ruling government, and that if the Chief Minister dismissed their agitations as a 'political stunt', the government itself bore responsibility for forcing the opposition onto the streets.
Farmers and the Onion Crisis
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has simultaneously mounted aggressive protests demanding fair prices for onions and a revision of the current export policy. Major demonstrations — including rasta rokos (road blockades) and marches — were held in key onion-producing belts: Chandwad (Nashik district), Sambhajinagar, Junnar, and Otur. Several farmers and party workers were detained by police during these actions.
At a rally in Chandwad in May 2026, MVA leaders formally demanded a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹3,000 per quintal for onions — a figure the ruling coalition has not yet committed to.
The Delhi Jibe
Shinde also took aim at the ruling alliance's internal coherence, noting the irony that leaders who once accused the Congress of 'taking decisions from Delhi' were now 'rushing to Delhi themselves' for meetings on onion, sugarcane, and sugar issues. He argued this exposed both a failure to resolve Maharashtra's problems at the state level and a lack of consensus within the ruling coalition. The MVA, he claimed, deserved credit for mounting enough pressure to force that Delhi outreach.
With fuel prices, farm incomes, and commodity supply all emerging as flashpoints, the opposition's coordinated pressure campaign is set to intensify ahead of the next legislative session.
Point of View
And the Congress and MVA are right to exploit it — but the protests are most potent when the fuel grievance and the farm grievance are kept analytically separate. Petrol prices are partly a Centre-state tax question; onion MSP is a procurement and export-policy failure at multiple levels. Bundling them into a single anti-BJP narrative is electorally convenient but obscures accountability. The more telling detail is the ruling coalition's Delhi dependency: if Mahayuti ministers cannot resolve onion and sugarcane pricing in Mantralaya, that is a structural weakness the opposition can press well beyond this protest cycle.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Congress protesting fuel prices in Maharashtra?
The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee led by president Harshwardhan Sapkal is protesting four consecutive hikes in petrol and diesel prices that occurred over eight days leading up to 27 May 2026. The party alleges the BJP-led government is indifferent to the financial hardship these increases are causing ordinary citizens and farmers.
What is the MVA demanding for onion farmers?
The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition is demanding a Minimum Support Price of ₹3,000 per quintal for onions, along with a revision of the current export policy. Protests including road blockades were held in major onion-producing areas such as Chandwad in Nashik district, Sambhajinagar, Junnar, and Otur.
What did NCP-SP's Shashikant Shinde warn about?
Shashikant Shinde, state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), warned that a massive statewide agitation would erupt across Maharashtra if injustice against farmers was not addressed. He also accused the ruling coalition of hypocrisy for seeking Delhi's intervention on issues it previously criticised the Congress for escalating to the Centre.
Were any protesters arrested during the demonstrations?
Yes, several farmers and party workers were detained by police during the MVA-organised protests, which included road blockades and marches in onion-belt districts across Maharashtra.
What has Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said about the fuel situation?
According to the Congress, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has claimed there is adequate stock of petrol and diesel. However, Sapkal alleged Fadnavis was 'blatantly lying', pointing to long queues at petrol pumps as evidence of a supply shortfall on the ground.
