1 month ago
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The Congress connected Tuesday (April 7, 2026) accused the Union Government of precipitating a "full-blown livelihood crisis" successful Karnataka by mismanaging LPG and substance supply, severely impacting car drivers, tiny businesses and gig workers.
In a associated statement, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his lawman D.K. Shivakumar and Congress General Secretary successful complaint of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, alleged that implicit 5 lakh car drivers and lakhs of tiny edifice owners, vendors and transportation workers were facing unprecedented hardship owed to steep terms rise, proviso shortages and alleged administrative nonaccomplishment astatine the Centre.
They demanded accountability from Union Ministers from Karnataka.
"The Modi government's catastrophic mismanagement of the LPG and substance ecosystem has triggered a full-blown livelihood situation crossed Karnataka," they said successful the statement.
Highlighting a crisp escalation successful prices, the connection noted that car LPG prices had surged from ₹58-61 per litre successful March to ₹105-120 per litre wrong weeks.
They further alleged that backstage outlets were charging arsenic precocious arsenic ₹125 to ₹135 per litre, portion Government outlets had mostly ceased operations.
The leaders pointed to an "artificial shortage" of fuel, claiming that the fig of operational LPG/CNG stations successful Bengaluru had dropped from 60 to 70 to hardly 10 to 15, amounting to astir an 80% shutdown.
Daily supply, they said, had halved from 12,000 litres to 6,000 litres, with substance being rationed astatine ₹400 per vehicle, forcing drivers to queue up from aboriginal greeting for hours.
They underlined that Karnataka's implicit 5 lakh autos formed the backbone of last-mile connectivity and warned that astir fractional were disconnected the roads, portion others were losing productive hours owed to agelong queues. Criticising suggestions to power to petrol, the connection termed it impractical and unaffordable, fixed rising petrol prices and phased-out petrol vehicles.
On the interaction of rising commercialized LPG prices, the leaders said a ₹200 hike from April 1 had pushed the outgo of a 19-kg cylinder beyond ₹2,000, adding that aft aggregate increases successful 45 days, prices had reached ₹2,161 per cylinder and were reportedly being sold successful the achromatic marketplace astatine up to ₹6,000.
This, they said, had severely affected tiny eateries, roadside vendors and gig workers babelike connected nutrient services.
Asserting that LPG proviso is controlled by the Centre done Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), they said, "Let america beryllium perfectly clear; LPG proviso successful India is controlled by the Central Government done OMCs. States person nary power implicit procurement oregon allocation." They further alleged that contempt exigency proviso orders, companies appeared to beryllium ignoring directives, indicating a governance breakdown.
The leaders raised concerns implicit achromatic marketplace and imaginable further terms hikes aft the upcoming elections.
"This is not conscionable a substance crisis. This is simply a livelihood exigency affecting crores of citizens," they added.
The Congress leaders described the concern arsenic a 'failure of leadership', stating that the Centre's inaction was pushing the moving people towards distress and warned that nationalist choler would bespeak successful the upcoming Assembly by elections successful Davanagere South and Bagalkote, arsenic good arsenic different polls crossed the country.
