Jaipur, May 27 -- Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday criticised the Centre and BJP governments over rising fuel prices, alleging they were hiding the reality of the fuel crisis from the public and resorting to "drama" instead of providing clarity and relief. Reacting to the sharp fuel price rises and a worsening supply situation, Gehlot said opposition voices, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, were simply demanding that the government explain the situation honestly to the people. He said if the Centre was facing unavoidable international circumstances that had pushed up prices, it should admit that openly. Gehlot said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently appealed to citizens to adopt certain measures amid the crisis, after which BJP ministers and chief ministers in party-ruled states began making symbolic gestures such as travelling by rickshaw, walking or using electric vehicles. "A message doesn't reach the public through such spectacles. If you actually make some sacrifice, that message goes straight down the throat, even to the villagers, it reaches the villages. But they only performed dramas," said Gehlot He questioned the repeated hikes in fuel prices, including the recent rise in CNG rates, and called them unfair to citizens already struggling with inflation. "The government should clearly communicate the reasons for the hikes instead of denying the seriousness of the situation. If the government respected concerns raised by the opposition and honestly explained the circumstances, people would appreciate the transparency. Instead, both the NDA government and BJP leaders were creating confusion, leaving the public uncertain and anxious about further price increases," he said. Gehlot also claimed fuel shortages and long queues at petrol pumps were becoming a serious issue across Rajasthan. He alleged the government was refusing to acknowledge the ground reality despite growing public distress. Describing what he called the "practical reality," Gehlot said people travelling between cities such as Kota, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bharatpur were finding it difficult to get fuel and were often forced to stop multiple times on highways to refill small quantities of petrol. Targeting Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore and chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Gehlot accused BJP leaders of repeatedly denying the crisis and misleading the public. He alleged that people were suffering because petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders were not available, with reports of shortages from several rural areas including Lohawat and Osian. Gehlot further said LPG distributors were under pressure and unable to answer angry consumers about delayed deliveries. He said distributors were facing public outrage because the Central government had failed to explain the situation clearly. Blaming both the Centre and the Rajasthan government, Gehlot said that if authorities had communicated honestly with the public, local LPG distributors and petrol pump owners would not have faced public anger. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully intensified the attack on the BJP government over fuel prices, accusing chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma of abandoning his earlier stand on reducing VAT on petrol and diesel. In a social media post, Jully alleged that while Sharma, when in opposition, had demanded lower VAT on fuel, Rajasthan was now witnessing some of the highest fuel prices in the country under the BJP government. Referring to a 2021 statement by Sharma, Jully accused the chief minister of contradicting his earlier position after coming to power. Jully demanded that the state government reduce VAT on fuel to provide relief to people burdened by inflation. He argued that after the Central government increased fuel prices, Rajasthan's VAT collections had automatically risen, and therefore the state government should share that benefit with consumers. The Congress leader also accused the BJP government of failing to control inflation despite earning additional revenue from fuel taxes. He said no meaningful effort had been made by the state government to reduce petrol and diesel prices for ordinary citizens. The controversy over fuel taxation has triggered a fresh political confrontation between Congress and the BJP in Rajasthan. Petroleum dealers in the state have also reportedly urged the government to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel to provide relief to consumers and farmers. Commenting on the situation, BJP state secretary Mukesh Pareek said: "It is the Congress that has mastered drama and circus, not the BJP." He said the highest VAT on fuel today is in Congress-ruled Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, and therefore, the Congress's statements had no meaning. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged people to adopt austerity measures in view of the ongoing global situation, while also ensuring that there was no fuel crisis in the country....