People get their two-wheelers filled with petrol at a fuel station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (File/Reuters)
With prices of fuel at an all-time high, Indians today woke up to the news that the price of petrol had been slashed by 60 paise while the price of diesel was down by 59 paise. For many, it was a welcome relief after 16 straight days of hikes in petrol and diesel prices. But the happiness was short-lived as the Indian Oil Corporation quickly clarified that the actual price reduction was only one paisa per litre and blamed a "clerical error" for the mixup. The marginal 1 paisa cut fuelled anger on social media. The opposition, led by Congress' Rahul Gandhi, seized the opportunity to target the government over the rising fuel prices and the hashtag #EkPaiseKiSarkar began trending on Twitter.
"ONE paisa!?? If this is your idea of a prank, it's childish and in poor taste,"
tweeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
From its official Twitter handle, the Congress shared a meme mocking BJP supporters:
Other Congress supporters tweeted similar zingers:
On Twitter, some
responded to the news with humour:
Petrol and diesel prices have been steadily rising daily for the last 16 days. The price of petrol has increased by Rs. 3.8 per litre and diesel by Rs. 3.38 over the past fortnight. Prices vary from state to state depending on local sales tax or VAT.
Today,
there was a cut in the prices after 16 straight days, but just one paisa per litre. "The reduction was supposed to be 1 paisa but due to a clerical error the price prevalent on May 25 was communicated as today's price," news agency Press Trust of India cited a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation as saying.
Kerala, however, became the first state to announce a cut in fuel prices. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government has decided it will
reduce the prices of petrol and diesel by Re 1 in the state from Friday, June 1. "Re 1" is also among the top trends on Twitter.