AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, 25 May 2026, publicly challenged the Narendra Modi government over rising fuel prices, questioning why India continues to forgo cheaper crude oil available from Russia and Iran. The post, shared on X, demanded an explanation from the Prime Minister for what Kejriwal called an unexplained compulsion driving the policy.

Posting in Hindi, Kejriwal wrote: 'तेल के दाम फिर बढ़ गए। हम फिर भी रूस और ईरान से सस्ता तेल नहीं ले रहे। मोदी जी की ऐसी क्या मजबूरी है?' — translated: 'Fuel prices have risen again. We are still not buying cheap oil from Russia and Iran. What compulsion does Modi ji have?' The question is pointed, framing the government's import choices as a burden borne by ordinary consumers.

Context

The post arrives amid a fresh uptick in retail fuel prices, which remain among the most politically charged economic indicators in India. Kejriwal, as AAP's national convenor and a prominent face of the opposition, has a track record of targeting the central government on fuel taxation and pricing decisions. His framing — asking what 'compulsion' the Prime Minister faces — implies external diplomatic or geopolitical pressure without stating it explicitly.

Policy Backdrop

India's crude import strategy has shifted significantly over the past four years. After the Ukraine conflict in 2022, India dramatically scaled up purchases of discounted Russian crude, which at its peak accounted for over 40 per cent of the country's import basket — a pragmatic move that shielded consumers from the worst of global price spikes. On Iran, India halted purchases in 2019 after the United States declined to renew sanctions waivers, effectively cutting off a historically significant and competitively priced supply source.

Both decisions reflect the tension between India's energy security imperatives and its relationships with Western partners. Fuel retail prices are also shaped heavily by central and state taxes, a dimension that opposition parties frequently highlight when pump prices rise.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate stakeholders are Indian consumers — particularly the urban middle class and transport sector — who absorb higher fuel costs directly through petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas prices. Oil marketing companies such as state-owned refiners operate on thin margins and are sensitive to both global benchmarks and government pricing directives. For the Modi government, any move to resume Iranian crude purchases would require navigating active US sanctions, while Russian oil trade, though ongoing in some form, faces its own logistical and payment complications tied to Western financial restrictions.

Opposition parties, including AAP, have consistently argued that the government prioritises geopolitical alignment over consumer relief, a charge the ruling dispensation disputes by pointing to overall energy security and diplomatic considerations.

What's Next

The next major signals to watch are OPEC+ production decisions, which will influence global crude benchmarks, and any debate on fuel taxation during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. If prices remain elevated, political pressure on the government to either cut excise duties or explain its import calculus is likely to intensify. Kejriwal's post suggests AAP intends to keep fuel pricing at the centre of its national economic critique heading into that session.