New Delhi: Union minister for petroleum DharmendraPradhan on Sunday trained guns at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his attacks o the central government over rising fuel prices. Pradhan said Gandhi should ask chief ministers of states where Congress is in power if he is concerned about the burden on the common man. Fuel prices in seven Indian states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have already crossed the ₹100-mark, registering historic highs.

"Rahul Gandhi must answer why is fuel expensive in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab? If Rahul Gandhi is concerned about the poor being hit by fuel prices, he should ask chief ministers of Congress-ruled states to cut taxes," Pradhan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Gandhi should ask Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to reduce taxes, Pradhan added.

However, the petroleum minister did not suggest a similar action for states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), like Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, where the consumers are feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices. The fuel prices have been hiked 23 times since last month.

Rahul Gandhi, in his latest attack on the government, asked as to how much will the BJP "loot". "GDP crashing, Unemployment soaring, Fuel prices skyrocketing. In how many more ways is #BJPLootingIndia," he asked in a tweet on Friday.

Congress on Friday held demonstrations in several parts of the country against the rising fuel prices, during which over 150 members were detained in Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for allegedly violating Covid protocol and protesting without permission. Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. As a result, the petrol retails at over ₹100 per litre mark in six states and union territories - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Ladakh.