New Delhi, March 16 – Union Minister J.P. Nadda's remark in Parliament on Monday that a Congress leader had been caught hoarding gas cylinders drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the Congress and the Shiv Sena-UBT.
His remark came after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha over an alleged shortage of LPG.
Reacting to Nadda's accusation, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said: "If you look at the newspaper headlines every day, they all say how food has become more expensive. Earlier, those people who used to rely on 'Dhabas' for food are now also forced to spend their days eating fruits. People have now switched to using stoves."
She wondered where the opposition was at fault. "How can J.P. Nadda accuse a politician of hoarding cylinders?" she asked.
Chaturvedi added that the same situation is happening in all other states where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) itself has "double engine" governments.
She instead accused the Central government of being unprepared for a crisis of this nature.
"They knew for the past two years that the US might attack Iran, despite this, the government didn't keep the LPG stock ready. Now none of us knows for how long this war will go on, but everyone knows about the LPG shortage, which is why people have to stand in long queues," she said.
Defending her party, Congress MP Kumari Selja said: "How and why would a politician do hoarding? The Congress party raises issues that are in the welfare of the people, that is our responsibility."
She asserted that if there are long queues for refuelling cylinders, it is not hidden from the public.
"There is a role of the Opposition. We will raise such issues," Selja added.
Fellow party MP Rajini Patil alleged that the BJP wants to divert this issue.
"Whenever they want to divert an issue, they start this factory of lies. Nothing of this sort (hoarding of cylinders) is happening, and if somebody is involved in such things, whether it is from the Congress or the BJP, strict action should be taken against them."
Another Congress MP, Viriato Fernandes, urged the government to accept its mistake.
"Our foreign policy is a total mess because of which Iran has also put some restrictions on the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz."
Fernandes further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not place the country at risk due to his ego.
