Congress, BJP spar over LPG allocation for state

BENGALURU: The Middle East conflict has led to an oil crisis, causing a shortage of LPG cylinders in Karnataka. The state government is blaming the central government for the crisis, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being responsible for the situation.

“Gas prices have gone through the roof, are we getting gas and petrol now?… Narendra Modi is responsible for this mess”, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently tweeted.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa has also criticised the central government saying that it is discriminating against Karnataka while urging them to provide gas to the state on par with other states.

The opposition BJP retaliated with Minister Prahlad Joshi defending the central government’s gas supply to the state, saying the state government is responsible for managing the crisis.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Modi had recently appealed for unity in the face of global challenges, and Muniyappa had attended an emergency meeting called by PM Modi last week, but didn’t raise the issue then. The state government is now facing backlash from the BJP, which is questioning the timing of their criticism ahead of by-elections.

The situation is affecting various sectors, including autorickshaw drivers, hotels and restaurants. The state government has decided to allocate the gas available to essential services like hospitals and schools. The central government is yet to respond to the state government’s allegations.