Bengaluru, April 7 The Congress accused the Union government on Tuesday of creating a "full-blown livelihood crisis" in Karnataka by mismanaging the supply of LPG and fuel, severely impacting auto drivers, small businesses, and gig workers.
In a joint statement, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar, and Congress General Secretary, in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, alleged that over five lakh auto drivers and lakhs of small hotel owners, vendors, and delivery workers were facing unprecedented hardship due to soaring prices, supply shortages, and alleged administrative failures at the Centre.
They demanded accountability from Union ministers from Karnataka.
"The Modi government's catastrophic mismanagement of the LPG and fuel ecosystem has triggered a full-blown livelihood crisis across Karnataka," they said in the statement.
Highlighting a sharp increase in prices, the statement noted that auto LPG prices had surged from ₹58-61 per litre in March to ₹105-120 per litre within weeks.
They further alleged that private outlets were charging as high as ₹125 to ₹135 per litre, while government outlets had largely ceased operations.
The leaders pointed to an "artificial shortage" of fuel, claiming that the number of operational LPG/CNG stations in Bengaluru had dropped from 60 to 70 to barely 10 to 15, amounting to nearly an 80 per cent shutdown.
They said that daily supply had halved from 12,000 litres to 6,000 litres, with fuel being rationed at ₹400 per vehicle, forcing drivers to queue up from early morning for hours.
They emphasized that Karnataka's over five lakh autos formed the backbone of last-mile connectivity and warned that nearly half were off the roads, while others were losing productive hours due to long queues. Criticising suggestions to switch to petrol, the statement termed it impractical and unaffordable, given rising petrol prices and phased-out petrol vehicles.
On the impact of rising commercial LPG prices, the leaders said a ₹200 increase from April 1 had pushed the cost of a 19-kg cylinder beyond ₹2,000, adding that after multiple increases in 45 days, prices had reached ₹2,161 per cylinder and were reportedly being sold in the black market at up to ₹6,000.
This, they said, had severely affected small eateries, roadside vendors, and gig workers dependent on food services.
Asserting that LPG supply is controlled by the Centre through oil marketing companies, they said, "Let us be absolutely clear; LPG supply in India is controlled by the Central Government through OMCs. States have no control over procurement or allocation."
They further alleged that despite emergency supply orders, companies appeared to be ignoring directives, indicating a governance breakdown.
The leaders raised concerns over the black market and potential further price hikes after the upcoming elections.
"This is not just a fuel crisis. This is a livelihood emergency affecting crores of citizens," they added.
The Congress leaders described the situation as a 'failure of leadership', stating that the Centre's inaction was pushing the working class towards distress and warned that public anger would reflect in the upcoming Assembly bye elections in Davanagere South and Bagalkote, as well as other polls across the country.
