Congress President blames govt.’s lack of foresight, poor management and weak foreign policy for the situation

In Rajya Sabha

Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge on March 16, 2026, raised alarm over an LPG crisis in the country and blamed the government for lack of foresight in anticipating the situation. He said that households, small businesses and commercial establishments are facing severe hardship. The Congress President called for a broader discussion in Parliament on the implications of the ongoing conflict in West Asia for India’s energy security, saying regional tensions were the root cause of the current crisis.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said that India imports nearly 60 per cent of its total liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) requirements and about 90 per cent of these supplies pass through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, making the country vulnerable to geopolitical tensions in the region. He said that the emerging situation has created widespread distress across the country, affecting poor and vulnerable households, middle-class families, restaurants, hostels and other commercial users dependent on LPG cylinders.

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge noted that the impact was visible in “almost every corner of the country,” with roadside eateries, small dhabas, restaurants and hostels facing serious supply difficulties. Community kitchens and initiatives such as Ram Rasoi, he said, have been forced to shut operations in several places due to the lack of LPG availability. The Congress President said that many establishments are struggling to procure cylinders and are being forced to buy them in the open market at prices exceeding ` 5,000 per cylinder, indicating widespread black marketing and hoarding.

He questioned the government’s claims that there is no shortage of LPG, referring to statements made by the Union Petroleum Minister in the Lok Sabha urging people not to believe rumours about supply disruptions.

He argued that the ground reality contradicts these assurances and accused the government of failing to prepare in advance despite being aware of rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia that could impact critical energy supply routes.

The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha said that when the government issued advisories to Indian citizens in Iran amid the deteriorating regional situation, it should also have clarified the potential risks to maritime energy routes and taken preventive steps to safeguard domestic LPG supplies.

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge contended that the government must have received inputs about possible disruption in the route through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a substantial portion of India’s LPG imports.

“If advance planning, timely imports and alternative arrangements had been made earlier, the current crisis could have been mitigated,” he said. He pointed out that supply restrictions have already been imposed on several sectors, stating that industrial consumers will now receive only 80 per cent of their average LPG supply of the last six months, while fertiliser plants have reportedly been limited to 70 per cent of their average supplies. Refineries and petrochemical units are also facing reduced allocations, he added. He also criticised the government for increasing LPG prices during the crisis. He said that the price of domestic cylinders has been raised by 60, while commercial cylinders have become costlier by 115.

Questioning the rationale behind the hike, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge asked that if the government had successfully arranged alternative imports, why supply restrictions and price increases were being imposed. He also highlighted growing delays in cylinder deliveries, saying the waiting period for booking the next LPG cylinder after receiving one has increased from 21 days to 25 days in urban areas and from 25 days to 45 days in remote rural regions.

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge asked why alternative arrangements were not made in advance, why the Opposition was not consulted on a coordinated national response, and why stronger measures were not being taken to curb black marketing. He said that the situation exposes weaknesses in the country’s foreign policy and energy security planning as well as administrative preparedness, stressing that ensuring affordable and stable LPG supply for households, small traders and vulnerable sections is the government’s responsibility.

In Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi says, energy security compromised

New Delhi: The Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi on March 12, 2026, took strong exception to the United States deciding from whom we can and cannot buy oil. He said that the country’s energy security was compromised due to the flawed foreign policy.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi took strong exception to Modi govt surrendering the authority to decide from whom to buy oil or not to the United States. “I do not say this lightly, but allowing the United States to decide who we buy oil from, who we buy gas from, whether we can buy oil from Russia or not, whether our relationship with different oil suppliers can be decided by us… this is what has been bartered,” he said, adding, “it has been a very puzzling fact why a nation the size of India would allow any other nation… the President of another nation to give us permission to buy Russian oil, to decide who our relationships are with.”

Maintaining that the reason behind this was “compromise”, Shri Rahul Gandhi remarked, “I have been trying to figure this puzzle out, and I have figured the puzzle out. And the puzzle is about compromise.”

Making a major revelation, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri’s daughter had received money from George Soros. He also produced papers amidst repeated disruptions from the treasury benches. He pointed out that the “Oil Minister himself has said that he is a friend of Mr. Epstein”. Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha after raising the issue of Soros payment to Puri’s daughter and referring to the minister’s links to Epstein.

In an interaction with media, the Leader of the Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi

Earlier, talking to reporters at the Parliament House complex, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the government should immediately start preparing to deal with the emerging energy situation, failing which crores of people could face severe hardship. “I am not making any political statement, I am just saying that I can see that a big problem is coming,” he cautioned.

Reiterating that the Prime Minister was “trapped”, he said, “There is a central problem here and I have been saying the problem is the Prime Minister is not able to function as the Prime Minister of India, and there is a reason for it - he is trapped.”

The Prime Minister, he added, still needs to make sure currently that the people of India are protected. “He needs to make sure that our energy security is managed by us and that we are taking the decisions about our energy security,” he said, while hoping “the government listens to what I am saying because if it doesn’t, there will be a huge problem.”

Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the government still has “some time” to act and must begin preparations without delay to protect the interests of citizens. He suggested that the govt. should start thinking deeply about the possibilities and what it needs to do to ensure that our people do not suffer.

He said that the emerging global situation is much larger than whether oil imports from any particular country are allowed or not, and indicated that the ongoing geopolitical conflicts are reshaping the global order.

“This war is fundamentally about the current world order. We are entering an unstable time and when that happens, the mindset has to change,” he said.

In a facebook message, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi further said on LPG Shortage on March 17, 2026

The LPG crisis in the country is deepening, yet instead of offering solutions, the Modi government is spinning tall tales, taunting those who ask questions, and offering one new excuse after another. The reality is that the government itself is panicked. What was the first sign of panic? Gas prices increased as supply stopped. Who was the burden of crisis put on? On you - on the people of the country.

This crisis did not occur suddenly. This is the result of a weak and pressure-driven foreign policy. When America pressured our energy policy, compromised PM bowed down and got it compromised. Another big failure of the government –it made India completely dependent on imports. Government failed to develop country’s domestic energy capacity. The biggest thing, the government did not recognize the danger in time. There were already signs of the energy crisis, but the government took late and half-incomplete steps. This is the situation today - businesses are closing, houses are blowing out the stove.

Who is suffering from the pain? You - the people of the country.

The truth is clear - Modi government has compromised the energy security of India. And if not prepared yet, the time ahead will bring a bigger crisis. And you will pay its biggest price again - You, the people of India standing in the gas queue.