Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Monday slammed the government over the issue of rise in prices of petrol and diesel, terming its silence on the matter as "extremely sad".

In a tweet in Hindi, she said, "The prices of petrol and diesel in the country are skyrocketing, and crores of hardworking people and those from the middle class are repeatedly calling for help. But on this important issue of public welfare, the government is a silent spectator, which is extremely sad".

The BSP demands that the government immediately pay attention to the issue, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

The relentless hike in prices has been criticised by the opposition parties including Congress that has demanded an immediate cut in taxes to ease the burden on the common man.

However, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had told Parliament that the government is not considering a reduction in excise duty to cool rates from their record highs.

Rates have risen as international oil prices touched USD 61 per barrel for the first time in more than a year on improving demand outlook amid the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, he had said.