Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Saturday, 16 May launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the ₹3 per litre hike in petrol and diesel prices, alleging that the government deliberately withheld the increase until after elections in five states concluded. The party aired its criticism through an editorial in its official mouthpiece, Saamana, accusing the ruling dispensation of deepening the public's inflationary burden.

The Saamana Editorial's Core Charge

The editorial alleged that the 'suppressed truth' about the fuel price hike had finally surfaced, with the ₹3 per litre rise taking effect just two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers publicly urged citizens to conserve fuel. The Thackeray camp argued that the public, which had handed the BJP power in three consecutive general elections and three of the five recently concluded state elections, received inflation as a 'return gift' in exchange.

The editorial pointedly noted that BJP leaders and their supporters had, until the elections were over, claimed that PM Modi had shielded India from the fallout of the ongoing Gulf War — insulating citizens from fuel shortages and price shocks. Critics within the party argue this narrative collapsed the moment election results were declared.

Victory Celebrations and the Austerity Contradiction

The Saamana editorial drew attention to what it described as a glaring contradiction: BJP's post-election victory roadshows, involving hundreds of vehicles that reportedly consumed lakhs of litres of fuel, were followed almost immediately by the Prime Minister's public appeal for 'austerity and foreign exchange conservation.' The Thackeray faction said this sequence exposed the government's messaging as opportunistic.

According to the editorial, the government's sudden acknowledgement of a looming fuel crisis, pressure on foreign exchange reserves from gold imports, and the depreciation of the Indian Rupee came only after electoral compulsions had passed. When the opposition raised these concerns earlier, BJP leaders, the editorial alleged, placed them in the dock rather than addressing the substance.

Cascading Price Impact on Essentials

The Thackeray camp warned that the fuel hike would trigger a broader inflationary spiral. The editorial noted that gold and silver prices are already beyond the reach of ordinary households, milk has become dearer by ₹2, and with petrol and diesel now more expensive, the cost of vegetables, fruits, and essential commodities is expected to rise further.

'Within just three days of PM Modi's appeal for austerity, the government pushed the public into the wildfire of inflation,' the editorial stated. It also cautioned that if the Gulf War situation does not stabilise, fuel prices could rise further still — leaving the government's current hike as potentially the first in a series.

Broader Political Context

The editorial also took aim at the government's handling of the Gulf War's economic fallout, arguing that the ongoing conflict — now nearly three months old — has impacted economies across the world. The Thackeray-led party argued that the ruling party's claims of India remaining unaffected due to PM Modi's leadership have now been contradicted by the government's own actions in raising fuel prices and hiking import duty on gold.

This is not the first time the opposition has linked fuel pricing decisions to electoral cycles. Critics have long argued that the Centre tends to hold back price adjustments ahead of state elections and releases them immediately after — a charge the BJP has consistently denied. With the next round of state elections still months away, the political fallout of this hike is likely to remain a flashpoint.