Amid LPG crisis, Congress challenges Hardeep Puri’s 'no LPG shortage' claim
Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba cites nationwide shortages and shuttered kitchens, points to punitive FIR
Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba on Wednesday challenged petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s claim that India faces no LPG shortage, citing reports of supply disruptions affecting households, restaurants and multiple industries.
“On 9 February, Hardeep Puri said there is no shortage of LPG in the country and that stocks are full,” Lamba said at a press meet, quoted in a post shared by the Congress on X. “But reports are coming from across the country that LPG cylinders are now in short supply everywhere. The entire country has come under the grip of this shortage.”
Lamba said Congress leaders had sought to meet Puri on 7 March, the day LPG cylinder prices were raised, but were denied an appointment. “On the day LPG cylinder prices were increased, we went to meet Hardeep Puri, but he refused to meet us. However, we did not stop and continued to raise our voice,” she said, adding that an FIR had been registered against them for raising the issue.
Her remarks come as restaurant bodies and industry groups warn of disruption due to tightening LPG supplies. In several cities, eateries have reported running out of commercial cylinders or cutting back operations, while institutional kitchens and some small manufacturing units that rely on LPG have also flagged shortages.
Puri has maintained that there is no shortage for domestic consumers and has urged people not to panic, saying India continues to secure energy supplies despite global disruptions.
The political pressure on the minister has also intensified in recent days owing to a separate controversy surrounding documents released in the United States related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Opposition leaders have demanded Puri’s resignation after his name repeatedly appeared in the Epstein files. The minister has said he met Epstein “three or four times” in professional settings years ago and has denied any wrongdoing, without explaining multiple email exchanges between them.