Opposition Congress party activists marched, blocked roads and disrupted trains in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, while other opposition parties protested outside offices of oil marketing companies. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the higher fuel prices and a falling rupee currency on the prime minister's policies. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused its opponents of "unnecessarily politicising" high fuel prices and the weakening currency, which it blamed on external factors such as Turkey's economic crisis which affected emerging markets. Taxes on petrol and diesel, which account for more than a third of retail fuel prices, are one of the biggest sources of income for the government, and an emotive issue for voters. Past governments have usually lowered taxes when international oil prices shot up, but Modi's administration has made little concession so far.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 10, 2018 12:45 UTC