Kolkata: Trinamool on Thursday attacked the Centre for lacking a contingency plan over the fuel crisis, reminding it that the "war in West Asia did not begin overnight".
State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said: "The war in West Asia escalated over months. Did the PM not know? He was physically present in Israel days before the hostilities intensified. The Strait of Hormuz carries 85-90% of India's LPG imports. None of this was a secret. And yet, no strategic reserves were built, no alternative supply routes were activated and no contingency protocols were triggered."
However, Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya called the state's LPG shortage an "artificial crisis" and alleged that dealers were being coerced and cylinders seized from them. "We are surprised to see how Trinamool is forcing this crisis on people and making them suffer," he said.
Chandrima retorted sharply. "The Centre invoked emergency powers to extend the LPG booking cycle from 21 to 25 days. But if someone needs gas in between, what will they do? Will flying the balloons of Ujjwala suffice? Demand for cylinders in Bengal alone jumped from 2 lakh to 6 lakh bookings in a matter of days. At the precise moment supply was disrupted, the Centre increased LPG prices by Rs 60. The price of gas has increased to over Rs 1,000."
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said while the war has prompted a fuel crisis and the common man was feeling the pinch, "the standard operating procedure by CM Mamata Banerjee makes no sense. It is nothing but trying to play to the gallery. There will be more sales of LPG through grey channels after this".
Chandrima added: "The Centre formed a committee to examine supply requests, while the West Bengal CM has conducted meetings and instructed the respective authorities. Is this the example of your ‘Viksit Bharat'? We demand answers. This is not just about politics; it is a matter affecting every household."
Former BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh said the Bengal govt should focus on the plight of potato farmers. "Farmers cannot even recover their production costs after the state stopped exporting potatoes to other states," he said.
Bengal BJP functionaries expressed hope after PM Narendra Modi said India would successfully navigate the situation. "We hope things will start improving from Monday," said a Bengal BJP neta.
TMC spokesperson Tanmoy Ghosh said, "LPG is not available. This govt only takes whimsical decisions, forcing people to stand in queues. Demonetisation was announced with zero supply-side preparation. The COVID lockdown after that… and then SIR happened."
Mamata price rise protest on Mon
CM Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest march on March 16 from College Square to Dorina Crossing at 4 pm against price rise, The party said the protests were against the abrupt price rise of cooking gas and commercial gas, taken unilaterally by the Centre.