Tehseen Poonawalla warned that India could face an LPG shortage because most supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz and criticised the Centre’s handling of the emerging energy crisis.
Tehseen Poonawalla warned that India could face an LPG shortage and accused the petroleum ministry of responding late to disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict.
Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla on Tuesday warned that India could face an LPG shortage because of disruptions caused by the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, and sharply criticised the Centre for what he described as a delayed response to the situation.
His remarks came even as the government invoked provisions of the Essential Commodities Act to ensure the uninterrupted supply of piped natural gas for households, LPG used for cooking, and CNG for transport after energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted due to the conflict.
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Poonawalla claimed he had been cautioning about the risk to India’s LPG supply since the start of the war.
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“Since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war, I have been publicly warning that India will face an LPG shortage. And the reason is, 80-85 per cent of India’s LPG comes from the Strait of Hormuz. And unlike crude oil, India does not have strategic reserves for LPG,” he said.
He alleged that the Petroleum Ministry reacted late despite the risks to supply chains.
“Yet, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was sleeping, and last night they woke up and have now decided to form a committee 10 days into the war to see how LPG can be distributed to restaurants and hotels,” Poonawalla said.
The commentator further claimed that the hospitality sector could face serious consequences.
“So, in short, Hardeep Puri ji’s ministry has completely destroyed the hotel and restaurant sector,” he said.
| Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla called Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri ‘the most incompetent minister ever in the history of independent India to head Petroleum Ministry’. Poonawalla alleged that the Petroleum Ministry reacted late to the crisis and decided to form a… pic.twitter.com/T7uEwZvswU
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) March 10, 2026
Poonawalla also launched a personal attack on Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, calling him “the most incompetent minister ever in the history of independent India to head this industry”.
He argued that the services sector, including hotels and restaurants, receives little support despite contributing significantly to the economy.
“The service industry, which gets no support from the government, for example, hotels, pays a tremendous amount of taxes, has to pay huge bribes, doesn’t get GST input tax credit and is always left on its own in crises, be it COVID or now,” he said.
“My suggestion to the honourable Prime Minister of India is to immediately kick out Hardeep Puri ji as the minister and change the babus in this Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and get competent people,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Centre issued directions under the Essential Commodities Act to ensure the uninterrupted supply of cooking gas and transport fuel as the Middle East conflict disrupted liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The government said domestic piped natural gas supply, CNG used in transport and LPG production would receive top priority, with supplies maintained at 100 per cent of their average consumption over the past six months, subject to operational availability.
Refineries and petrochemical plants have also been directed to maximise LPG output and divert hydrocarbon streams to strengthen the cooking gas pool.
Fertiliser plants have been placed in a second priority category and may receive around 70 per cent of their recent average gas supply, depending on availability.
Industrial and commercial consumers connected to the national gas grid or city gas networks are expected to receive about 80 per cent of their average supply, subject to operational conditions.
The government said the measures are aimed at protecting essential fuel supply for households and transport, even as global energy routes face disruption because of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
War in West Asia squeezes gas supply; Centre shields homes, slashes allocation to industry
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