BJP says 'no LPG crisis' — as queues grow and kitchens shut

As reports of LPG shortages surface from several parts of the country, BJP leaders continue to accuse the Congress and other Opposition parties of “spreading panic”, even as incidents on the ground suggest genuine supply disruptions.

The controversy intensified after community kitchens at the Kashi Annapurna Temple in Varanasi — located in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency — were reportedly forced to suspend operations due to a shortage of cooking gas.

CPI(M) general-secretary M.A. Baby said the temple’s annakshetras, which have fed thousands of devotees daily for decades, had shut for the first time because of the ongoing LPG crisis.

“In PM Narendra Modi’s own constituency, the famous Annapurna Temple’s annakshetras, which have been feeding thousands daily for decades, have shut down for the very first time due to the ongoing LPG crisis,” Baby said in a post on X.

“It is a testimony to the utter failure of the Modi–Adityanath governments. Hollow words and ‘simple si technologies’ cannot hide this reality. People need relief, not rhetoric. Act now,” he added.

The kitchens were reportedly closed on Saturday after a shortage of LPG cylinders disrupted food preparation for devotees. Mahant Shankar Giri Maharaj, associated with the temple, said the annakshetra was facing a severe crisis due to the shortage, making it difficult to prepare meals.

Despite such reports, BJP leaders have dismissed claims of a crisis and blamed the Opposition for fuelling alarm. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis accused the Congress of deliberately creating panic over LPG availability.

“The Congress is intentionally spreading panic about LPG shortage,” Fadnavis said, insisting there was no real supply crunch and that the rumours had triggered unnecessary concern among consumers.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also accused Opposition leaders of exaggerating the situation. “Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are spreading false panic about a fuel and LPG crisis,” Maurya said, adding that the Central government had ensured adequate supplies despite tensions in West Asia.

Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore similarly alleged that the opposition was using the issue for political gains. “The Congress is spreading misleading claims about shortages of LPG and other essentials. There is no such crisis,” Rathore said.

Officials in Uttar Pradesh have also maintained that there is no shortage of LPG, even as they warned of strict action against hoarding and black marketing.

However, developments from several parts of the country appear to tell a more complicated story.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, hundreds of consumers blocked a road outside a gas agency after waiting for hours without receiving LPG cylinders.

According to officials, customers had been standing in a queue since around 7.00 am, but when the agency did not open even by 10.00 am — an hour after its scheduled time — the crowd began protesting. A large number of women joined the demonstration, saying their cooking gas had run out and they could not prepare tea or breakfast for their families.

Sub-divisional magistrate Manish Sharma later reached the spot with police personnel and ordered the agency to begin distribution immediately. “I have warned the agency,” Sharma said, adding that strict action could be taken if distribution delays occurred again.

In Rajasthan, the issue has also sparked political protests. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Tikaram Jully questioned the government’s claim that LPG availability had normalised. “If the situation is normal, why are people still standing in long queues for gas cylinders?” Jully asked while addressing a protest in Alwar.

He said rising LPG prices and supply disruptions had made it increasingly difficult for middle-class and poor families to run their kitchens, and alleged that shortages were fuelling black marketing of cylinders.

Meanwhile, the Centre itself has taken emergency measures that appear to acknowledge pressure on supplies.

The petroleum ministry has urged households with access to piped natural gas to give up LPG cylinders temporarily to ease demand. Officials say India imports more than 60 per cent of its LPG — much of it through the Strait of Hormuz — making supplies vulnerable to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

For now, the government maintains that the situation is under control. For consumers waiting in line for cylinders, however, the debate over whether the crisis exists or is merely a case of “panic” may feel somewhat academic.

With PTI inputs