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 Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Wednesday.
When discussion on the resolution resumed in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, the treasury and opposition benches — excluding two BJP MLAs who were not in the House — blamed the "wrong policies" of the BJP-led government for the LPG situation.
According to the resolution, the war between Iran, Israel, and the US is delivering a major shock to the Indian economy.
"People in India are continuously facing an LPG shortage. On one hand, the Centre is giving false assurances, but on the other, it has significantly increased LPG prices," the resolution read.
The price of a 14-kg domestic 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.
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.
This will impact people who are travelling and rely on roadside eateries for tea and meals. Those who are away from home may face great inconvenience, the resolution said.
A severe LPG shortage has already arisen in cities such as Chennai and Mumbai, it said, terming the situation "extremely alarming".
To promote corporate companies, it alleged, the central government has "compromised" India's foreign policy, and the country is "badly trapped".
"We can all see that they (the US) play a role in getting a ceasefire. They even decide which country we should purchase oil from and for how many days. India's foreign policy has been compromised, and today the country is in a critical situation," it 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 said.
"Today, the Punjab Legislative Assembly passes a censure motion against the Modi-led Central government for putting the entire country at risk through its wrong policies," the resolution said.
Participating in the discussion, AAP MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said it was a serious issue that the country is facing a crisis due to the Centre's wrong policies.
Accusing the Centre of "destroying" the country, he claimed that people are facing hardships due to LPG shortage and many restaurants are on the verge of closure, which would lead to unemployment.
Cabinet minister Harjot Singh Bains said the looming LPG shortage will adversely affect the hotel and tourism industry and cast a shadow over the wedding season.
Many caterers for wedding events have started returning the advance money they took, Bains said.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa also supported the resolution presented by the AAP government.
The Congress leader 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.
Lashing out at the Centre, Bajwa said, "Today, the US is giving us permission to buy oil from Russia for one month."