Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said there is no shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in the state and accused the Indian National Congress of spreading panic among people, which he claimed has led to long queues at LPG distribution centres.
Speaking to the media in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, Fadnavis said the queues were not due to a shortage of LPG but because of confusion allegedly created by Congress leaders.
“The long queues are not because of any shortage of LPG but due to the panic Congress has created, confusing people and forcing them to stand in line. The central government and senior officials have already clarified that there is no shortage,” he said. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, criticised the Congress for allegedly misleading people and targeting the Prime Minister. He said the party was attempting to instigate the public and insult both the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His remarks come amid reports of people waiting in long lines to obtain LPG cylinders, along with complaints about technical issues while booking cylinders, delays in delivery, and recent price hikes. The hospitality sector has also been affected after the Centre restricted commercial LPG supply in order to prioritise domestic consumers. Meanwhile, the Congress in Maharashtra staged protests over the price increase and alleged poor management of LPG supply. Oil marketing companies had raised the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder by ₹60 and commercial cylinders by ₹115 on March 7.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi, questioning on social media where those boasting of “56-inch chests” were when citizens were forced to stand in queues in the scorching heat to get LPG cylinders. Earlier, Sanjay Raut, MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), also criticised the government, alleging that it had failed to address the issue. He claimed that at least 40 hotels had shut down due to the shortage and accused the ruling party of focusing on election campaigns instead of resolving public concerns.
Fadnavis, however, defended the Prime Minister, saying that Modi has consistently responded to criticism with action and has earned appreciation from global leaders for his leadership and ability to build consensus among countries. He added that political leaders in India should refrain from humiliating the Prime Minister.