Fuel prices spark war of words between BJP, Congress. Here's the reality

Asked about the hike in petrol and diesel prices, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Congress chief ministers should cut taxes. Here's a comparison of fuel prices in Congress-ruled states and states where BJP is the ruling party.

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has kicked off a controversy by claiming that petrol and diesel are being sold at higher prices in Congress-ruled states. "I accept that fuel prices are pinching consumers," Pradhan told reporters during an event in Delhi on Sunday. Asked about the charges levelled by the Congress, the Union minister said, "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." In response, Punjab government spokesperson Raj Kumar Verka asked why diesel was being sold at a higher price in Haryana, where BJP is the ruling party. He also said that 40 per cent of Punjab's population was being supplied with electricity either free of cost or at subsidised prices.