Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, describing it as a “protective shield for India” amid challenging times, and welcomed the latter’s decision to slash central excise duty on petrol and diesel.
Welcoming the PM’s decision amid an emerging crisis in the availability of oil and petroleum products, Sharma wrote in a post on social media platform X on Friday, stating, “In this tough phase of global challenges, the leadership of @narendramodi Ji is proving to be a protective shield (Raksha Kavach) for the country.”
The decision to cut central excise on petrol from Rs 13 to Rs 3 per litre and on diesel from Rs 10 to zero per litre has provided relief to lakhs of families across the country in this hour of need.
This would free people from worries of uncertainties arising from fluctuations in global prices of these essential commodities, he wrote.
The Chief Minister also exhorted people not to panic and stay away from rumours about any shortage in availability or supply, and reassured them that “there will be no problem in meeting their needs”.
Chief Minister Sharma is himself supervising the situation and making arrangements to ensure smooth availability and an uninterrupted supply chain.
On Friday evening, he chaired an all-party meeting to seek feedback on the ground realities and assess the situation.
Besides CM Sharma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joga Ram Patel, Government Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg, and Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully, representatives of the ruling BJP, the Opposition Congress, RLD, and BSP also attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister maintained that the situation has not arisen due to the actions of the government or any other party, but is the result of a global crisis. However, he assured that Rajasthan has adequate reserves of LPG and sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel.
Hence, there is no emergency or crisis in the state, as the situation is being closely monitored and a vigilant eye is being kept on miscreants who may indulge in hoarding or black marketing.
Leader of the Opposition Jully expressed solidarity with the state government in its efforts to deal with the situation. However, he said there is a need to tap alternative resources to maintain normalcy. He also stressed the need to duly meet the demands of industry and to reduce the long queues for LPG cylinders in cities and towns.
BSP MLA Manoj Nyangli informed that people in rural areas are facing hardships due to a waiting period of 45 days for gas cylinders, while farmers are facing problems in diesel supply.
Meanwhile, reports from different parts of the state suggest that oil companies have resorted to an undeclared cut of up to 30 per cent on petrol and diesel.
The principal Opposition Congress, as part of its pre-announced programme of agitation to highlight the hardships faced by the common man due to the “short supply of gas, petrol and diesel”, held a massive demonstration at the Shaheed Memorial here on Friday.