New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday hit out against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government after petrol and diesel prices were hiked by nearly 90 paise per litre, the second fuel price hike in less than a week after the end of a nearly four-year moratorium by state-run oil companies.Sharing a post on its official It said, “This is just the beginning. The inflation man will charge even more now that the elections are over.”The post further said, “Modi has increased the prices by Rs 4 in the last 4 days. With this increase, petrol has reached Rs 109 and diesel Rs 96 in the country.”Fuel prices increased for the second timeAccording to PTI sources, the latest increase took petrol prices in New Delhi from Rs 97.77 to Rs 98.64 per litre, while diesel rates rose to Rs 91.58 from Rs 90.67.Amid rising global crude prices linked to the ongoing conflict with Iran and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, state oil marketing companies on Friday increased petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre, the first revision in four years.Rates vary across states due to differences in value added tax (VAT). Now the price of petrol in Mumbai is Rs 107.59 per liter and the price of diesel is Rs 94.08 per liter. In Kolkata, the price of petrol increased to Rs 109.70 and the price of diesel to Rs 96.07 per liter, while in Chennai the price of petrol is now Rs 104.49 per liter and the price of diesel is Rs 96.11.CNG prices also increasedCompressed Natural Gas (CNG) prices have also seen increases several times this month. On May 15, CNG prices were increased by Rs 2 per kg in cities including Delhi and Mumbai, while on Sunday it increased by Rs 1 per kg.Global crude oil prices have surged more than 50 percent since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes disrupted shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.Despite a sharp rise in crude oil prices, retail fuel rates in India had remained stable for months. The government had previously said the ban was aimed at protecting consumers from global energy shocks.Earlier on Monday, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India successfully avoided any shortage of crude oil, LPG and pipeline natural gas despite two major global conflicts that disrupted international energy markets in the last four years.Addressing media persons after attending the DISHA committee meeting in Varanasi, Puri said, “Today, the war in West Asia is going to complete 80 days. Earlier, the Russia-Ukraine war started in February 2022. “These are two major wars within four years, and both caused massive disruption to the global energy sector.”However, opposition parties alleged that fuel prices were deliberately kept unchanged until the elections in key states were over.After Tuesday’s revision, petrol and diesel prices reached their highest levels since May 2022. Fuel prices remained largely unchanged from April 2022, except for a one-time cut of Rs 2 per liter on petrol and diesel announced in March 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.