BJP hit back at Congress with right math on fuel prices, but botched up its graphs
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BJP hit back at Congress with right math on fuel prices, but botched up its graphs

Using govt statistics, ThePrint simplifies BJP's graphics by separating absolute prices and percentage increase into individual graphs.

Nikhil Rampal    

The infographic shared by the party | @BJP4India/Twitter

Using govt statistics, ThePrint simplifies BJP’s graphics by separating absolute prices and percentage increase into individual graphs.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday tried to tide over the furore over rising fuel prices with facts but found itself in the middle of a severe social media backlash after it tweeted two infographics under the title ‘Truth of hike in petroleum prices’.

The party put out the two graphs seeking to convey that the percentage increase in fuel prices during the UPA government (2004-2014) was higher than during the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

The graphics, however, seemed to have confused people as data for both the prices and the percentage increase was put together in a single bar chart.

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Real picture

Using statistics available with the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, ThePrint simplifies the graphics by separating absolute fuel prices and their percentage increase into individual graphs.

The retail selling price of petrol rose from Rs 33.71 in 2004 to Rs 71.41 in 2014 under the UPA. Under the Modi government, the price rose from Rs 71.41 to Rs 80.73 between 2014 and 2018. (All prices are from New Delhi.)

So the percentage increase in petrol prices was higher under the UPA government as compared to NDA. Between 2004 and 2009, the petrol prices rose by 20.5%, and 75.8% during 2009-14. However, the increase narrowed to 13.05% between 2014 and 2018.

It’s a similar story for diesel.

The retail selling price of diesel rose from Rs 21.74 in 2004 to Rs 56.71 in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, the price rose to Rs 72.83.

As with petrol, the percentage increase in diesel prices during the UPA government was higher as compared to NDA. The increase between 2004 and 2009 amounted to 41.95%, and 83.77% during 2009-14. However, the increase narrowed to 28.43 between 2014 and 2018.

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