If state governments want, they can lower the prices of petrol and diesel, as a state did so recently, he said in a press conference at the Delhi BJP office.

“We are sensitive towards it and are taking possible steps like doing blending of 10 per cent which we are going to raise to 20 per cent,” Puri said.

The Congress government in 2010 deregulated prices of petrol and diesel, meaning there would be a local impact of international rates, he said. “The Centre imposes excise tax on petrol and diesel, while states impose VAT on it. We use this excise money to fund schemes … ,” he said.

Puri said the Congress government, before 2014, issued oil bonds of Rs 1.34 lakh crore to control prices of petrol and “passed on their problem to us.” He hit out at the Congress, saying the figures on oil bonds presented by it were “flawed” and challenged the party to ask states ruled by it to reduce the VAT on petrol and diesel.