Bengaluru, March 7 – Criticizing the Centre over the increase in LPG cylinder prices, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that the latest increase is deeply concerning and demanded the Centre's resignation.
"The latest increase in LPG cylinder prices is deeply concerning for millions of households across India. At a time when families are already battling relentless inflation, yet another burden is being placed on the kitchens of ordinary citizens. Domestic cylinders have been increased by around Rs 60, adding further pressure on household budgets," he said.
He added that this crisis is not accidental but the result of a foreign policy that mistakes submission for strategy.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly surrendered India’s strategic autonomy by blindly aligning with the United States and disrupting India’s long-standing energy partnerships with nations such as Russia and Iran, partners that have historically ensured energy stability for our people.
“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had warned with remarkable clarity: ‘Foreign policy is the outcome of economic policy.’ When diplomacy becomes spectacle rather than strategy, its consequences inevitably reach the kitchens of the poor and the middle class,” he said.
He further added that even former Army Chief General M. M. Naravane’s recent book raises serious concerns about the absence of institutional consultation and strategic depth in India’s foreign policy decisions, reinforcing the growing perception that the Prime Minister lacks a basic understanding of diplomacy and its economic consequences.
"Unfortunately, these misplaced foreign policy choices appear to stem from the Prime Minister’s fear of potential exposure in the Epstein files and his evident lack of understanding of diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must explain why his diplomatic misadventures are being paid for by the people of India. He owes the nation an apology, and he must resign," he said.
The prices of domestic LPG and commercial cylinders have been hiked by Rs 60 and Rs 114.5, respectively, from Saturday (March 7), as energy costs continue to rise due to the West Asia conflict. This is the second price hike in less than a year.