New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “hiding” when the country is grappling with gas shortage crisis due to the ongoing war in West Asia, while accusing him of pandering to Israel.
During a discussion on the working of the ministry of rural development in the Upper House, Singh claimed people are standing in long queues across the country to get gas, while DMK member Tiruchi Siva demanded a discussion on the impact of US-Israel against Iran on India’s fuel supply.
“Where is the Prime Minister of the country hiding when the nation is grappling with the gas crisis? Please bring him out… The whole country is standing in queue for gas and the PM is hiding…” Singh said.
He further said, “I want to ask you, in the war in the Middle East between US-Israel and Iran, why are you pandering to Israel as a result of which India has to suffer from gas shortage?” Taking a dig at the government’s rural development steps, the AAP member said through the ‘Ujjwala’ scheme 8-10 crore gas cylinders were distributed in rural areas and another 10-11 crore connections were taken by people on their own, resulting in 21 crore connections in rural areas but are now struggling to get gas.
“The entire country is standing in queues, villages are standing in queues, cities are standing in queues every locality is standing in queue,” he claimed.
Stating that hotels are closing, tile factories in Morbi, Gujarat, are closing due to gas shortage, Singh said, “What have you done?” Participating in the discussion, DMK member Siva demanded a discussion on the impact of the war in West Asia on India, specially on fuel shortage saying, “it is also imperative on the part of Parliament to discuss some burning issue which has emerged in the nation at large”.
Though India is not directly involved in the war, he said the war has “created a huge impact with regards to fuel, specially, now with natural gas and cooking gas”.
Every state is convening urgent meetings on how to address the issues. Restaurants are being closed due to shortage of gas, he said, adding that prices are going up and homemakers are suffering.
“Is it not very important that Parliament discusses that? We feel very sad,” he lamented.
Parliament should consider it as a responsibility to discuss and resolve the issue, Siva said.
“We don’t know what is going to happen…how the economic recession that emerges in some other nation impacts the rest of the world,” he added.
Siva said the fuel crisis will affect much more and wanted to know what are the plans of the Union government, asserting people in rural areas are also affected by the fuel crisis.
“We must rise to the occasion… what actually concerns the people, Parliament should also take serious concern. The government is accountable to Parliament and Parliament is accountable to the people,” Siva said.
Taking part in the discussion, P P Suneer (CPI) highlighted challenges such as unemployment and agrarian crisis in rural areas and expressed concern over the decline in budgetary allocation for rural development.
Similarly, Ramji (BSP) lamented that in many dalit villages there are proper roads, drinking water supply, schools, and no access to healthcare facilities contrary to the claims of the government.
Priyanka Chaturvedi (SS-UBT) also pointed at farmer suicides in Maharashtra and that asserted rural development is an important part of social and economic stability.
Claims of the Opposition were contested by BJP members Rekha Sharma and Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde who listed several steps taken up by the government for rural development. PTI RKL TRB
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