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ISLAMABAD: The president of India&#39;s main opposition party said Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s government withheld fuel and commodity price increases until state assembly elections concluded, as back-to-back hikes in petrol and compressed natural gas prices make the lives of average Indians increasingly difficult. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/opposition-leader-terms-modis-address-travesty-of-democracy-indian-constitution" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mallikarjun Kharge</a>, the President of the Indian National Congress party and Leader of the Opposition in the Indian parliament&#39;s upper house, said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had concealed the state of the economy from voters ahead of the polls.&nbsp; &quot;The Modi government kept everything hidden from the country until the elections, but once the elections were over, prices of everything increased,&quot; Kharge said in a post on X. State-run fuel retailers raised petrol and diesel prices by ₹3 per liter on Friday, citing surging global crude costs driven by the ongoing war in the Middle East. A second hike in compressed natural gas prices followed on Sunday, the second such increase in a single week, according to the Press Trust of India. &quot;If Modi had raised the prices of petrol, diesel, and other commodities before the elections, he would have suffered significant losses,&quot; Kharge said. &quot;The BJP government and Modi lack foresight.&quot; India imports over 80% of its crude oil, leaving it heavily exposed to supply disruptions in the Middle East. Wholesale inflation rose to 8.3%, a three-and-a-half-year high. It was driven by imported oil and metals costs. Meanwhile, retail inflation climbed to 3.4% in March, up from 3.2% in February, according to Consumer Price Index data. The Reserve Bank of India projected average retail inflation at 4.6% for the current fiscal year, above its 4% target. The IMF put the figure higher, forecasting consumer prices to rise 4.7% in 2026. Economic growth has slowed. The World Bank&#39;s April 2026 India Development Update cut its GDP growth forecast to 6.6% for FY27, down from an earlier projection of 7.2%, citing high energy prices and supply chain disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict. The IMF revised its own 2026 growth forecast to 6.5%. Cooking gas prices on the black market, the only source accessible to millions of domestic migrant workers without formal documentation, increased up to five times their pre-crisis levels, from ₹80 ($0.83) to ₹90 ($0.93) per kilogram to as high as ₹500 ($5.19), according to AFP. India has more than 450 million internal migrants, per government estimates, many of whom told AFP they were preparing to leave cities and return to their home states. &quot;Inflation is continuously rising due to the BJP government,&quot; Kharge said. &quot;The poor in the country are not even able to get the essential goods they deserve.&quot;

Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Indian National Congress, criticized the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising fuel and commodity prices, saying increases were delayed until after elections and citing concerns about the economic 

India

Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge says the ruling party concealed economic pressures before state polls; 'once the elections were over, prices of everything increased.'

Indian opposition says Modi govt delayed fuel price hikes until after elections

MUMBAI: Air India said Wednesday it would reduce or cut several international routes over jet fuel price hikes and airspace restrictions due to conflict. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-75" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Middle East War</a>&nbsp;since late February and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent aviation turbine fuel prices soaring, raising concerns over carrier profitability and leading to a rise in airline fares. Air India did not give the total number of flights affected, but said it would suspend routes to Chicago, Shanghai, and Singapore among other from certain Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai between June and August. The airline added that it would also cut the frequency of flights to San Francisco, Paris, Milan and Sydney. Several factors have &quot;significantly&quot; impacted the commercial viability of some flights, the airline said in a statement. &quot;Despite the challenges and beyond these adjustments, Air India will continue to operate more than 1,200 international flights every month.&quot; The Middle East war has proven to be the latest in a series of setbacks for the Indian carrier, whose chief executive resigned in April. Since taking over Air India in 2022, the Tata conglomerate has embarked on an ambitious overhaul, ordering hundreds of aircraft and upgrading its ageing fleet. While the airline has managed to modernize operations and integrate the group&#39;s aviation businesses, it has faced persistent headwinds including aircraft delivery delays and airspace closures by Pakistan in 2025. But the biggest blow to the airline&#39;s image came in June 2025, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/father-of-air-india-crash-pilot-seeks-independent-probe" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Air India Flight 171</a>&nbsp;&ndash; a London-bound Boeing 787 8 Dreamliner &ndash; crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.

Air India will suspend and reduce several international routes between June and August as soaring jet fuel prices, regional conflict and airspace restrictions strain the carrier’s profitability and operations.

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Indian opposition says Modi govt delayed fuel price hikes until after elections