MUMBAI: Amid a fresh ₹29 increase in the price of cooking gas (LPG) cylinders, the second hike in the last three months, and a month-long rise in fuel prices, opposition parties in Maharashtra on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government. While Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad), NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar warned that the ruling party would eventually have to bear the political consequences of rising fuel costs and what he termed policy mismanagement.Opposition targets Centre over fuel, LPG hikes; Pawar says BJP will ‘pay political cost’Responding to questions from the media on the latest ₹29 increase in LPG cylinder prices, Pawar criticised the Narendra Modi-led government over rising fuel costs and their impact on household budgets, particularly among middle- and lower-income families.“They are continuously raising the prices of fuel, and it’s affecting the monthly household budget of the common man. Initially, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed they were keeping inflation under control. However, looking at their procedure to increase the price of fuel, their strategy seems to be to give these shocks in a phased manner to the citizens of India. At the appropriate time, the ruling party will pay the political cost of this,” said Pawar.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) organised a protest titled “Mahengai Ke Acche Din” (Good Days for Price Hikes), a play on Modi’s 2014 election slogan “Acche Din”, in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to protest rising inflation linked to increasing fuel prices.MLC Ambadas Danve, along with hundreds of party workers, gathered at Kranti Chowk and staged a demonstration against inflation and the state government’s farm loan waiver scheme. During the protest, Danve questioned the continued increase in fuel prices and accused the Central government of failing to shield citizens from the burden of inflation.“The Modi government assured ‘Acche Din’ to the common man. But in their regime, ‘Acche Din’ is only for inflation. The government has failed to control fuel prices and the common man is suffering because of it,” said Danve.He also criticised the state government’s farm loan waiver scheme, alleging that it had effectively become a farm loan recovery mechanism, with several beneficiaries being required to repay amounts beyond their eligibility for waiver relief.Defending the increase in fuel prices, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the rise to global developments and ongoing conflict in West Asia.“Due to the West Asia war, there is not a single country in the world where the prices of petrol, diesel and gas have not increased. Fuel prices have gone up everywhere. The Central government is certainly concerned about this. Domestic fuel prices have risen only when global prices increased and have dropped when global rates fell. So when the situation improves, there will be a reduction in fuel prices,” said Fadnavis.