Patna, March 19 Bihar Minister for Industries Dilip Jaiswal said on Thursday that there was no shortage of LPG cylinders in the state, and that the long queues outside distribution outlets were due to misleading propaganda by the Congress.
Speaking to reporters here, Jaiswal said that the claims of an LPG cylinder shortage in the state are false.
"This is the result of the Congress' misleading propaganda, aimed at creating fear among the people," he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress staged a protest over the alleged "LPG shortage" in the state.
Speaking to reporters here, Congress state president Rajesh Ram said, "The Union government has completely failed to provide gas cylinders to people across the country. People are forced to stand in queues for hours to get LPG cylinders. They have no other option because the supply of cooking gas is dwindling."
"When Narendra Modi launched the PM Ujjwala Yojana in 2016, he said that he could not bear to see smoke affecting the eyes of women. Today, as he fails to convince (US President) Donald Trump and the Iranian regime to resolve the crisis, the mismanagement of LPG has left the people in a desperate situation," the Congress leader said.
Ram claimed that people, including the elderly, have died in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh while waiting in queues for LPG cylinders.
"Despite the government repeatedly saying that there is no crisis, why are people being forced to stand in queues?" he said.
Another senior Congress leader, Madan Mohan Jha, said that there is "desperation" among the people as they are unable to obtain LPG cylinders.
"If the government claims that there is no shortage at all, then what explains the long queues outside LPG distribution agencies? People are willing to pay five times the actual price of the cylinders," he said.