The prices of petrol and diesel were increased on Monday for the fourth time in two weeks. The fuel rates went up by an average of Rs 2.8 per litre across the country.

In Delhi, the price of petrol increased by Rs 2.61 to reach Rs 102.12 per litre, while diesel increased by Rs 2.71 to Rs 95.20 per litre, PTI reported.

The price of petrol in Mumbai reached Rs 111.21 per litre and diesel went up to Rs 97.83 per litre. Kolkata recorded the highest petrol price among the four metros at Rs 113.51 per litre, while rates in Chennai stood at Rs 107.77 per litre for petrol and Rs 99.55 per litre for diesel.

Since the revision of rates resumed on May 15 after a four-year freeze, the prices of petrol and diesel have risen by nearly Rs 7.5 per litre.

On May 15, prices of both retail fuels were increased by around Rs 3 per litre. Oil marketing companies hiked the rates again on May 19 by around 90 paise, followed by another upward revision of up to 95 paise on Saturday.

The increase comes despite some easing in global oil prices on Monday, following weeks of elevated crude prices linked to the conflict in West Asia.

Brent crude, which had risen as high as $106 a barrel on Friday and traded around $103 later in the session, fell more than 5% to $98.22 a barrel early on Monday on hopes of a possible agreement between the United States and Iran.

The price of Brent was $78 per barrel on February 27, a day before the conflict started.

However, United States President Donald Trump tempered expectations of an immediate agreement, saying on social media that he had “informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side”.

In a subsequent post, he said the deal “isn’t even fully negotiated yet”.

India imports 88% of its crude oil needs and about half of its natural gas requirement. This mostly comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked due to the conflict in West Asia.

‘Inflation man Modi strikes again’: Rahul Gandhi

Commenting on the fuel price hike, Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi quipped on social media: “Inflation man Modi strikes again”.

Gandhi said that the prices of petrol and diesel were being increased in instalments “so that your pocket keeps getting quietly fleeced”.

“I’ve been warning for months about an economic storm coming,” Gandhi said on social media. “But [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi ji, as always, was busy with elections back then – and the moment elections ended, the prices of petrol-diesel were hiked by Rs 8.”

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Modi government “has sprinkled petrol to burn the savings of common people”. Kharge said that “every fuel price hike is another blow to household budgets, and has a cascading effect on every aspect of the economy”.

“From Farmers to MSMEs, every strata of the society bears the brunt of BJP’s loot,” he added.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal asked why India is not buying fuel and gas from Russia and Iran. “If they are willing to sell us oil and gas at a cheaper rate, what is the prime minister's compulsion?” he asked.

On May 11, the Union government ruled out any immediate bailout package for state-run oil companies despite losses linked to the crisis in West Asia.

The clarification had come as concerns grew about under-recoveries, the gap between the cost of producing fuels such as petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas and their retail selling prices.

Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on May 10 that oil companies were facing under-recoveries of about Rs 2 lakh crore, with losses of up to Rs 1 lakh crore projected in the current quarter.

Puri had said that oil companies were purchasing crude oil, gas and liquified petroleum gas at elevated international prices while continuing to sell fuels at unchanged retail rates to shield consumers, leading to losses of up to Rs 1,000 crore a day.

Edited by Sneha.