Chandigarh, March 12 The Punjab Assembly on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution stating that the failure of the Centre's foreign policy has led to a shortage and increase in the price of LPG, causing hardship to people across the country.
The resolution was moved by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Wednesday.
When discussions on the resolution resumed in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, the treasury and opposition benches – excluding two BJP MLAs who were not present in the House – blamed the "wrong policies" of the BJP-led government for the LPG situation.
According to the resolution, the war between Iran and the Iran-US combine is delivering a major shock to the Indian economy.
"The people of India are continuously facing an LPG shortage. On one hand, the Centre is giving false assurances, and on the other, it is significantly increasing LPG prices," the resolution read.
The price of a 14 kg domestic gas cylinder has been increased by Rs 60 and that of a commercial cylinder by Rs 115, which in itself indicates that the shortage is quite severe, it said.
The National Restaurant Association, which represents more than 5 lakh restaurants across the country, has warned that if the LPG supply is not normalised within the next 72 hours, restaurants may be forced to shut down, the resolution said.
A severe LPG shortage has already arisen in cities like Chennai and Mumbai, it said, terming the situation "extremely alarming".
Participating in the discussion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema lashed out at the BJP-led Centre and alleged, "Our foreign policy has become so fragile that we are constantly intimidated by foreign powers. Whether it was the intervention via a mere tweet during past border tensions or the absolute silence on the recent casualties in Iran, the Union government has proven that it cannot stand up for India's strategic interests.
“We will not allow the BJP to turn India into a subservient market for the US, nor will we let them enslave the people of this country."
The Centre has repeatedly "bowed" before US pressure, making India look weak on the global stage, he alleged.
The fallout of the ongoing conflict (in West Asia) will inevitably lead to skyrocketing fuel and cooking gas prices, placing an unbearable financial burden on farmers, labourers and the middle class across the country and in Punjab, Cheema claimed.
Alleging that the Centre's foreign policy "failure" is a direct attack on the country's economy, he said that as global fuel prices prepare to surge, it is the common man who will pay the price for the BJP's "diplomatic incompetence".
“The BJP is systematically destroying India's federal structure. The opposition-ruled states are being financially starved,” he alleged.
Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled rally in Moga on March 14, Cheema said Punjab BJP leaders, including Sunil Jakhar, must ask Shah about Punjab's "stalled" funds for rural development and the National Health Mission.
Cabinet minister Aman Arora claimed that even after 12 years in power at the Centre, the BJP cannot distinguish between friends and adversaries.
“One by one, every neighbouring country has drifted away from us. This is the legacy of our foreign policy,” Arora alleged.
To promote corporate entities, the resolution alleged, the Centre has "compromised" India's foreign policy, trapping the country badly.
“We all can see how the US plays a role in ceasefire, how it decides which country we should purchase oil from and for how many days. India's foreign policy has been compromised, leaving the country in a critical situation," the resolution alleged.
“There is uncertainty on who India should consider its friend and who it should not. This has cast big doubts on the country's foreign policy,” it added.
Cabinet minister Harjot Singh Bains said the looming LPG shortage will adversely affect the hotel and tourism industry and cast a shadow on the wedding season.
“Many caterers for wedding events have started returning advance money,” Bains claimed.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress also supported the resolution, and expressed apprehension that while there is already an LPG shortage, fuel prices are also expected to go up in the near future, as the war is expected to continue since Iran is not going to give up.