Aurangabad / Mumbai, Mar 8 : NCP’s Maharashtra chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase on Tuesday slammed the (Narendra) Modi government over its tall claims of economic growth made earlier, saying they are now slowly being exposed. The country seems to be going through the phase of stagflation where the growth rate is reversing and inflation is on the rise, he said in a press statement. He further said that ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has fuelled the price rise of crude oil in international market to USD 140 per barrel, he said. Now that the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and other states of the country are over the central government seems to be contemplating an imminent rise in retail price of petroleum products, he pointed. When the price of crude in international market was at its lowest, Modi government did not give any relief to the citizens, he recalled and said hence now it should not cry about rise in price of international crude oil. Also, it has no moral authority to even think of any retail price hike of petroleum products in the days to come, he noted. Due to Covid pandemic, the earnings of the common man had crippled in past two years and now that corona relaxations are being eased, it will be unfair to hike the fuel price at this point, he pointed. Hence, the central government should absorb the burden and relieve the citizens from any upward revision of prices of petroleum products, added Tapase. VKB SS 1739