Chhindwara: In an embarrassment for the Congress, senior leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday rejected claims of an LPG shortage in Madhya Pradesh, contradicting his party’s aggressive campaign against the Centre and the state government.
While the Congress has been consistently targeting the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments over alleged delays in LPG supply and hardship faced by the public, Kamal Nath dismissed the narrative outright.
Speaking to reporters in Chhindwara, where he had gone to attend a funeral, the veteran leader said: “There is no such shortage. It is just an atmosphere being created that there is a shortage.”
He asserted that there is “no dearth of cooking gas” in the state and accused certain quarters of deliberately manufacturing panic for political gains. His statement closely echoes the Centre’s stand that there is no real crisis, but rather rumours being amplified.
Kamal Nath, who also heads the Congress Legislature Party in Madhya Pradesh, indirectly targeted the ruling BJP by suggesting that such narratives are being spread to divert public attention from governance issues.
Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Chhindwara, Nath said an “atmosphere” was being created to suggest a shortage of fuels in the country.
“There is no such shortage. It is just an atmosphere being created that there is a shortage,” he said.
Kamal Nath, who was in Chhindwara to participate in ‘Gada Puja’ on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti and to meet families of victims of recent road accidents, did not elaborate further on the issue.
“I have come to offer my condolences to the families affected in the road accident in Chhindwara,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Kamal Nath, along with his son and former MP Nakul Nath, performed ‘Gada Puja’ at his residence.
“The Gada Puja was performed in a peaceful atmosphere at the residence, without drums or fanfare. Thereafter, with deep reverence and devotion, the ceremonial mace was dispatched to the Siddheshwar Hanuman Temple in Simariya,” Nath said in a post on X.
Referring to recent accidents in Chhindwara that claimed multiple lives, he said compassion and restraint were central to this year’s observance.
“In light of the grief surrounding the recent bus tragedy in Chhindwara, this year’s Hanuman Jayanti was observed not with a grand ‘Gada Yatra’, but with a ‘Gada Puja’ conducted in a spirit of peace and simplicity,” he said.
Notably, Kamal Nath had earlier overseen the installation of a 101-foot-tall statue of Lord Hanuman at the Siddheshwar Hanuman Temple in Simariya, located in his political stronghold of Chhindwara.
His latest remarks come at a time when complaints of delayed LPG deliveries and long queues at distribution centres have been reported from several districts.
However, the former Chief Minister maintained that the situation is largely normal and urged people not to be misled by rumours. Political observers view Kamal Nath’s statement as a setback to the Congress’s strategy of building electoral momentum around the so-called LPG crisis, especially in poll-bound states such as West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala.
Local residents in Chhindwara and nearby areas have shown mixed reactions.
While some households reported minor delays in cylinder refills in recent weeks, many others said supplies are generally available through regular channels.
The development is likely to intensify the political debate over the availability of essential commodities in Madhya Pradesh and place the Congress in an awkward position as it continues to criticise the government on the same issue elsewhere in the country.
(IANS)
