Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President B.Y. Vijayendra on Saturday, 16 May boarded the Bengaluru Metro to attend party engagements, publicly endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for fuel conservation amid global economic pressures and rising energy costs. The gesture, he said, was a deliberate act of leading by example — and a direct counter to the opposition's criticism of the Centre over petrol prices.

The Metro Ride and Modi's Conservation Call

Vijayendra travelled by Metro to a party event at Kumbalagodu on the outskirts of Bengaluru and later to the Art of Living Centre to seek the blessings of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, returning by Metro as well. He framed the choice as a response to Modi's call for citizens to switch to buses and public transport wherever possible.

'Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for conservation. At a time when the world is facing economic challenges, every citizen in the country should think about this,' Vijayendra said. He also noted that Modi had reduced the number of vehicles in his own convoy, and that the BJP national president had followed suit. 'It is a good thought. We need to minimise the use of vehicles,' he added.

BJP's Counterattack on Fuel Price Criticism

Vijayendra turned the fuel-price debate squarely on the Congress-led state government, accusing it of repeatedly hiking taxes on fuel even when there was no corresponding rise at the Centre or in global oil markets. He questioned the logic of opposition demands for the Prime Minister's resignation over petrol prices.

'If they are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister over petrol price hikes, then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar should have resigned last year itself,' he said. He alleged the Karnataka government had imposed higher fuel taxes multiple times without any global or central-level trigger.

On the allegation that the Centre had deliberately delayed fuel price revisions until after state elections, Vijayendra rejected the charge and cited the Union government's decision to raise the income tax exemption limit to ₹12 lakh — a move he said was taken two years before the Lok Sabha elections, not timed for electoral gain.

Opposition Leader Ashoka Cites 49-Month Stability Record

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka also came out in defence of the Modi-led Central government, claiming it had not imposed 'even a single paisa burden' on common citizens for 49 months despite global wars and oil market volatility — a record he described as unprecedented in independent India's history.

Ashoka cited comparative figures to bolster his case: fuel prices reportedly rose 89.7% in Myanmar, 54.9% in Pakistan, and 44.5% in the United States, while India's increase stood at just 3.2%, according to his statement.

Congress Karnataka Government Under Fire

Ashoka further alleged that under the Congress government's tenure in Karnataka, milk prices had risen by ₹9, electricity tariffs by 56 paise per unit, and bus fares by 15%. Water charges, property tax, and Metro fares had also gone up, he claimed.

Accusing the state government of offering token relief while imposing heavier costs, Ashoka said, 'On one hand, they offer ₹2,000 guarantees, but on the other hand, they are taking away more than ₹4,000 every month from citizens through repeated price hikes.' The BJP's dual-front messaging — Modi as a model of austerity, Congress as a serial tax-hiker — signals the party's intent to keep fuel prices at the centre of Karnataka's political discourse ahead of future electoral contests.