The Trinamool Congress along with other opposition MPs held a protest at Makar Dwar in the Parliament complex on Thursday over the shortage of LPG cylinders across the country. Protesters raised slogans of “LPG, LPG” to draw attention to the issue. Some MPs also voiced concerns about Indian citizens stranded in Middle Eastern countries, chanting slogans criticizing the government.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said that simply claiming there is no shortage will not solve the problem. She accused Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri of presenting a misleading picture and stressed that the government must first accept that a crisis exists and then work toward solutions. She also said that Rahul Gandhi attempted to raise the matter in Parliament but was not allowed to complete his remarks.

Another Congress MP, Jairam Ramesh, alleged that the government was reluctant to allow a discussion in both Houses of Parliament about the situation in West Asia and its impact on India. In a social media post, he said the government’s refusal to hold a debate showed that it was afraid and that its foreign policy was being exposed.

Opposition parties have continued to demand a debate on the West Asia situation. Congress leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, also staged a protest inside the Parliament premises regarding the LPG issue. The government stated in Parliament that domestic LPG production has increased by about 25 percent and that all domestic output is being directed toward household consumers. It added that non domestic LPG supplies are being prioritized for essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Lok Sabha that India’s crude oil supply remains secure even though around 45 percent of imports earlier passed through the affected route. He said sourcing from outside the Strait of Hormuz has increased to around 70 percent of crude imports, compared with 55 percent before the conflict. He also noted that India now imports crude from 40 countries, up from 27 in 2006–07.

The minister assured Parliament that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, or fuel oil, and said refineries are operating at high capacity, sometimes exceeding full utilization. To safeguard LPG supplies for around 33 crore households, the government said domestic LPG production has been raised by 28 percent in recent days. It also introduced a minimum 25 day booking gap in urban areas and expanded the Delivery Authentication Code system to cover 90 percent of consumers.

Puri further clarified that the average time from booking to delivery of domestic LPG cylinders remains about 2.5 days, the same as before the crisis. To reduce pressure on LPG supplies, the government has also made alternative fuels available. Kerosene is being distributed through the Public Distribution System, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has advised state pollution control boards to temporarily allow restaurants and hospitality businesses to use alternative fuels such as biomass, RDF pellets, kerosene, or coal for one month so that more LPG can be reserved for priority household consumers.