New Delhi, March 27 Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien staged a protest on Friday over the LPG situation in the country by arriving at Parliament wearing a T-shirt with a gas cylinder printed on it.
O'Brien walked to the entrance of the Parliament building wearing the white T-shirt.
However, O'Brien did not wear the T-shirt inside the House, party sources said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav praised O'Brien's symbolic protest and shared a video on X showing the former quiz-master's silent assertion on the LPG situation.
"Today's Quiz Question: Q. How much gas is in an LPG cylinder?" Yadav said.
"A. Could you please clarify if this question is asking for the weight from the pre-war era, or the weight after the BJP government reduced the amount of gas in the cylinders? We will weigh and let you know when we get a cylinder, or else we'll be banging cylinders instead of plates," he said.
The opposition has been raising concerns over the LPG situation.
As the government slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 per litre and exempted diesel fully from duty, opposition parties termed the Centre's excise cuts on fuel a "late move" taken with the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Assam, and other states in mind.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose criticised the government for "reactive" policymaking and questioned the timing of the decision.
"The reduction in excise duty reflects the government's failure. For the past three weeks, the Modi government has been claiming that everything is fine and supplies are adequate.
Now, they have reduced excise duty because the situation has become an emergency," she told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
"This government acts only when there is a major crisis instead of acting proactively," Ghose alleged.
Amid reports of panic buying and long queues at petrol pumps and domestic gas agencies, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas released stock details for crude oil, fuels, and LPG on Thursday, "the first time since the West Asia war began.
The ministry stated that India has about 60 days of oil stock cover and has arranged a full month's supply of LPG. The government also maintained there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG.