Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government over the increase in fuel prices and the mounting Covid-19 cases in the country, saying it has "unlocked" the coronavirus pandemic and petrol-diesel prices.

Fuel prices were hiked for the 18th day in a row on Wednesday. After an 82-day hiatus, oil companies restarted revising prices in line with costs on June 7.

On Wednesday, the country also saw the highest single-day jump of 15,968 Covid-19 cases and 465 fatalities, taking the infection tally to 4,56,183 and the death toll to 14,476, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

"The Modi government has 'unlocked' the corona pandemic and prices of petrol-diesel," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

He also tagged a graph captioned "Coronavirus is not the only rising curve".

The graph showed a steady rise in the daily Covid-19 cases and prices of petrol and diesel after the lockdown.

India has witnessed a surge of 2,65,648 Covid-19 cases from June 1 till June 24, with Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh remaining the top five contributors to the rising tally.
 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the government over the rise in fuel prices.

"In this crisis, the central government has created history in picking people's pockets. Diesel has now crossed the price of petrol even as global crude oil prices are falling. Look at the way of looting (people). The government raises fuel prices by a few paise every day so that people don't see the loot of Rs 8 to 9," she alleged in a tweet in Hindi.

She asked, "Why is the public being harassed even in the economic devastation caused by the pandemic?"

According to a price notification of state oil marketing companies on Wednesday, while petrol price was unchanged after 17 consecutive increases, diesel rates were hiked by 48 paise per litre.

With this, for the first time in living memory, the price of diesel crossed that of petrol in the national capital.

Diesel now costs Rs 79.88 per litre in Delhi as compared to Rs 79.76 per litre for petrol.