People going back to firewood, every sector under pressure: Opposition

2 hours ago 6

ARTICLE AD BOX

2 min readNew DelhiMar 24, 2026 05:06 AM IST

Opp TMC MP Saket Gokhale in Rajya Sabha on Monday. (PTI)

As the West Asia war continued to roil markets and disrupt global energy supplies, the Opposition in Rajya Sabha on Monday hit out at the government over its response to the LPG and oil crisis and flagged black-marketing, closure of businesses and inflation.

During a discussion on the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2026, Opposition MPs raised concerns amid strikes on oil refineries and the Iranian chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas. US President Donald Trump backed down on targeting Iran’s power network Monday after Iran threatened to attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying US bases across the Gulf region if the US targets Iran’s power network.

The Bill was moved by Union MoS for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on behalf of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Opening the discussion, Congress MP Neeraj Dangi said the LPG shortage has led to restaurants shutting, black-marketing and upending of household budgets. “People are going back to cooking on firewood,” he said. He added that the Union Budget contained “hollow promises for the poor”, adding that the challenges of unemployment, inflation and falling value of the Rupee remained.

Former PM and JD(S) MP H D Deve Gowda expressed confidence in the government, saying PM Narendra Modi was a “mature leader” and “the only leader in the country” who could steer the nation through the crisis.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale said the Budget was a “work of fiction”, adding the Budget Estimate of 2025-2026 had been cut by Rs 10 lakh crore in the Revised Estimates. “The government is misleading the country on fuel shortage and LPG prices. LPG prices have gone up and very soon petrol and diesel prices will go up,” Gokhale said.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas said, “Every sector is reeling under huge pressure”, as a result of the war. “The dependence on import of oil and gas 20 years ago was 70%, and now it is 90%.”

Read Entire Article