Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre over the disruption in LPG supply amid the escalating West Asia conflict, alleging that despite official assurances of “adequate stocks”, the country is facing a deepening cooking gas crisis that has left many kitchens empty.
In a sharp editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction claimed that the widening gap between the government’s claims and the ground reality is becoming increasingly evident, with long queues outside gas agencies and several eateries shutting operations due to the supply crunch.
While the Centre continues to maintain that LPG production has increased and supply remains stable, the editorial argued that the situation on the ground tells a very different story. It alleged that the shortage of commercial cooking gas cylinders has begun affecting several cities across the country, including those in Maharashtra.
According to the editorial, the crisis has been exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in West Asia, particularly Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route through which a significant portion of the world’s oil and gas supplies are transported. Countries like India, which depend heavily on imports from the Gulf for petrol, diesel and LPG, are now facing the brunt, it said.
The editorial said, “Customers are standing in queue for hours not just in Mumbai and Pune, but also in cities like Bhopal, Indore, and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Mess halls at student hostels in Pune have removed poli-bhaji (flatbread and vegetables) from their menus. Students have received mobile messages instructing them to eat varan-bhat (dal and rice) until the gas shortage is resolved. The Nath Shashti Yatra of Paithan in Marathwada was also severely affected, with many dindis (processions) forced to turn back halfway because of the shortage.”
The editorial noted that domestic consequences are becoming increasingly severe, as the government has already cut off gas supplies to industries, resulting in the closure of several companies and threatening millions of jobs. In Mumbai, it said, over 30 per cent of hotels and restaurants have reportedly shut down. The wedding season and tourism peak in March-April are under threat, with caterers refusing orders as cylinder costs double. Even the famous Ganpatipule Temple in the Konkan region was forced to stop distributing its traditional prasad (offerings) due to a lack of fuel.
According to the editorial, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri maintained in the Lok Sabha that LPG production has increased by 28 per cent and that supply remains smooth. However, this claim is directly contradicted by new government regulations that have extended the mandatory waiting period for gas bookings. Under the new rules, urban residents can only book a refill every 25 days (up from 21), while rural consumers must now wait 45 days.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that claiming stocks are sufficient while simultaneously restricting booking periods is a blatant contradiction. The truth of the shortage is evident in the queues and the shuttered businesses, regardless of the government’s boastful claims. Who is the government trying to deceive, it asked.
“As ‘hollow claims’ of sufficiency continue to flow from the capital, the ground reality of closed factories and hungry students suggests a much more ‘terrifying’ situation than the government is willing to admit,” it said.
(IANS)
