Fuel excise cuts pre-election salve, says Congress, flags steady price rise despite fall in crude

Congress members criticized the government's excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel, claiming they do not translate to actual price reductions for consumers. The Congress argues that these cuts are a "narrative" rather than real relief, pointing out that global crude oil prices have risen significantly since the conflict in West Asia. The Finance Ministry, however, announced the excise duty cuts on March 26th to provide some relief to oil companies and reduce the burden of losses they've been absorbing since the outbreak of the conflict.