Spokesperson: Smt. Alka Lamba: Mahila Congress President said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working under pressure from US President Donald Trump and warned that the country could face higher inflation and LPG shortage as a result of decisions affecting crude oil supplies. She remarked that India’s oil policy had been influenced by pressure from the US administration, which she said had used the Epstein files and a case against PM’s industrialist friend Gautam Adani to blackmail him.

The All-India Mahila Congress demanded an immediate rollback of the recent LPG price hike and sought the resignation of the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, saying that the country was facing rising inflation and gas shortages.

Smt. Alka Lamba maintained that due to this pressure, India had reduced crude oil purchases from Russia, resulting in an emerging energy crisis. Citing a statement by Trump’s press Secretary, Lamba said that according to the official, India had stopped buying oil from Russia under pressure from Trump, and had now been given a one-month exemption.

She also criticised Union Petroleum Minister Puri, pointing out that despite his earlier assurances of adequate LPG stocks, the country was now witnessing shortages in several states, with people forced to stand in long queues for cylinders. She noted that the price of domestic LPG cylinders had increased by about Rs. 60 and commercial cylinders by around Rs. 115, adding that the hike was an additional burden on common citizens already struggling with inflation.

Drawing comparisons with earlier situations, the Congress leader said that people had faced queues during the 2016 demonetisation drive, during the COVID-19 pandemic for oxygen and cremation facilities, and were now again standing in lines due to the LPG shortage. Wednesday, March, 11, 2026