Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 19 (ANI): The Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jagat Singh Negi, on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of exaggerating its performance in the recently concluded urban local body elections while also launching a sharp attack on the Union government over repeated hikes in petrol, diesel and LPG prices.

Addressing mediapersons in Shimla and later speaking to ANI, Negi said the BJP was making inflated claims regarding victories in municipal councils and nagar panchayats despite not officially fielding candidates in several areas.

'The BJP is claiming victory in several municipal councils and nagar panchayats, but many candidates contested informally with BJP support and now the party is trying to take credit for their victories,' he said.

Negi said the election of presidents and vice-presidents of local bodies was still pending, and only after the formation of municipal councils, nagar panchayats, zila parishads and panchayat samitis would the real political picture emerge.

He said Congress-backed, BJP-backed and independent candidates had secured victories in different places, making it premature for any party to claim a decisive mandate.

The minister also rejected suggestions that the local body polls were a 'semi-final' for the Assembly elections, saying local elections are fought on entirely different issues and cannot be directly compared with Vidhan Sabha polls.

Targeting BJP state president Rajeev Bindal, Negi alleged that BJP leaders were making exaggerated statements disconnected from ground realities.

Commenting on the rise in fuel prices, Negi accused the Centre of burdening common people through repeated hikes in petrol, diesel and LPG prices.

He alleged that the government had paused fuel price hikes during Assembly elections in states such as Assam, West Bengal and Kerala, but resumed increasing prices immediately after the elections concluded.

'The Union government is misleading the public by linking fuel price hikes to international conflicts and Gulf tensions. The reality is that the Centre's foreign and economic policies during the last 12 years have completely failed,' Negi said while speaking to ANI.

He claimed that petrol and diesel prices had crossed 100 per litre because of 'wrong decisions' of the BJP-led government at the Centre and alleged that LPG cylinders had become unaffordable for ordinary households.

Negi criticised the Centre's foreign policy approach, particularly regarding Iran, claiming India had lost access to cheaper crude oil due to strained relations.

'Iran used to provide cheap crude oil to India, but because of the Centre's policies and its alignment with certain global powers, that supply has been affected,' he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that India was being pressured to purchase costlier crude oil despite cheaper alternatives being available from countries such as Russia.

He also accused the Centre of exporting refined petroleum products to neighbouring countries while domestic consumers continued to pay high prices and taxes on petrol and diesel.

Negi claimed the Centre had earned massive revenue through taxes and cess on petroleum products but had failed to provide relief to people facing inflation and rising living costs.

He said rural and economically weaker sections were among the worst affected by rising fuel prices and accused the Centre of ignoring ground-level economic distress despite claims of rapid economic growth.

Referring to previous governments, Negi said that during the UPA regime, oil companies were compensated to shield consumers from steep fuel price hikes, but such measures were no longer being adopted.

Predicting further increases in fuel prices in the coming weeks, Negi said the burden on consumers was likely to continue rising gradually.

He also said the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu remained committed to development and expressed confidence that people would remember the 'honest efforts' made by the state government despite financial challenges. (ANI)