The Delhi Congress on Sunday staged a protest in east Delhi's Trilokpuri area against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government for constant rise in fuel and gas prices.

The protest, part of the opposition party's "Mahangai Mukt Bharat" campaign, was led by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Chaudhary Anil Kumar.

Addressing a large number of party workers and local residents, Kumar said that the poor and the common people, who were distressed and devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic due to loss of jobs and livelihood, now  find themselves at a dead end, as the regular fuel price hike has disturbed household budgets.

Kumar said that Prime Minister Modi had failed to provide jobs, but at least he should check price rise by lowering the prices of petroleum products, and reducing the excise duty.

He said that when Congress was in power at the Centre, it gave subsidies to the tune of Rs 1,60,000 crores to return to the people the money collected in excise duty. “The Modi Government has collected over Rs 7 lakh crore in excise duty in the past eight years, but stopped all subsidies,” he added. "Constant increase in fuel and natural gas prices broke the backbone of the public.

Rates of petrol, diesel are being raised everyday, having a cascading effect on other commodities as well, which is making daily consumables costlier," a Congress protester said.

The Congress leaders said that a cooking gas cylinder, which cost Rs 450 in 2014, was costing Rs 950 now, which gives a clear picture about Modi's 'development' model. He said that the 'development and progress' that took place in the past eight years was only that of Modi's cronies, big industrialists, BJP leaders and workers, and not the struggling common people.

 Kumar said that the ordinary people's plight could be guaged from the fact a kilo of lemon was now selling for Rs 250 while a bottle of cooking mustard oil cost Rs 200, which was a far cry from the days when a kg of lemon cost just Rs 25. The protesters raised slogans against the central government, holding it responsible for "sharp" increase in the prices of oil and natural gas. Kumar said the Centre has increased prices of petrol, diesel, CNG, PNG and even the domestic gas cylinder just after the polls in five states were over.