The government on Thursday blamed the extended winter in north India for the shortage of LPG cylinders, inviting sharp criticism from the BJP.
BJP refuses to buy argument, alleges artificial shortageNEW DELHI: The government on Thursday blamed the extended winter in north India for the shortage of LPG cylinders, inviting sharp criticism from the BJP.
The petroleum and natural gas ministry in a prominent advertisement in Thursday’s newspapers announced: “Don’t panic. Because of the extended severe winter this year, particularly in the northern parts of the country, there is a sudden spurt in the demand for domestic LPGs. Bottling plants are working overtime to meet your needs.”
BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar accused the Congress-led UPA of deliberating creating a shortage of LPG cylinders and said this was yet another desperate attempt to fool the people. “How will the government explain the shortage in the southern states where there is no cold wave? The fact is that the government has allowed oil companies to curtail LPG production and supplies to bring down their losses,” he said.
Javdekar further added: “The government has also failed on its promise to augment imports to match the demand. A policy decision of the Congress government that allows requests for LPG refills only after 21 days from the previous date of delivery is the bone of contention.” He said the BJP would expose the government’s complicity in the LPG shortage in and outside the Parliament.
The BJP spokesman also targeted the UPA government for its dithering position on demands for a separate Telangana state. The party is pressing for “immediate formation of Telangana and has extended its “unequivocal support if the government brings such a resolution”. It accused the Congress of passing the buck to the BJP.
“It is not the BJP which is involved in any kind of double speak on this issue. The Congress has betrayed the people of Telangana and is now indulging in this false blame game,” said Javdekar.
The Congress came to power in Andhra Pradesh, along with the TRS, on the promise that a separate state of Telangana would be created after the election. Talks on a second states reorganisation commission (SRC) are irrelevant as the first SRC has already recommended a separate state of Telangana, said Javdekar.
s_sanjay@dnaindia.net 
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