New Delhi, May 25 -- Criticising the Central government over the fourth fuel price hike in 10 days, Congress leaders on Monday termed the repeated increases a "silent tax on every Indian household" and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "protecting corporates".

"Frequent petrol and diesel hikes are not just price increases. They are a silent tax on every Indian household. The poor pay for it in bus fares, vegetables, milk, school transport and daily essentials. The middle class pays for it through petrol bills, EMIs, groceries and children's expenses," Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge wrote in a post on X.

Questioning the government's appeals to patriotic sentiment amid rising fuel prices, Kharge said citizens ...