New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) Opposition Members of Parliament on Friday staged a protest at Makar Dwar in the Parliament House over the reported shortage of LPG cylinders across several parts of the country, accusing the Centre of failing to address a growing crisis affecting households and small businesses.
Holding placards and raising slogans, MPs from several Opposition parties gathered near the entrance to highlight what they described as a worsening situation in which consumers are facing long queues and uncertainty over the availability of cooking gas.
Among those who joined the protest was Congress MP K C Venugopal, who criticised the government for not taking concrete steps to tackle the shortage. “The LPG crisis is mounting day by day, and the Centre is taking no concrete steps to address this beyond empty platitudes,” Venugopal told reporters during the protest.
He said the shortage was causing widespread distress among ordinary citizens and small businesses that depend heavily on cooking gas. “All over India, the LPG shortage is resulting in massive queues, with crores of common citizens staring at a food security crisis, with eateries being forced to shut down and widespread panic being spread among the people,” he said.
Venugopal added that Opposition MPs had gathered to demand clarity from the government on how it planned to resolve the situation. “We have joined this protest to demand a clear roadmap from the Centre to address the widespread panic among the people about this LPG shortage,” he said.
The issue also disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha, where Opposition members raised the matter soon after the House convened. Amid continued sloganeering and demands for discussion on the alleged shortage, the lower House was adjourned twice during the day.
Opposition leaders have alleged that the shortage has led to long waiting times for refills in several regions, affecting domestic kitchens as well as restaurants and small eateries. They have called on the government to clarify supply constraints and outline measures to stabilise LPG availability across the country.
