Fuel mismanagement leading to full-blown livelihood crisis: Cong
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress on Tuesday accused the Union government of precipitating a "full-blown livelihood crisis" in Karnataka by mismanaging LPG and fuel supply, severely impacting auto drivers, small businesses and gig workers.
In a joint statement, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar and Congress General Secretary, in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that over five lakh auto drivers and lakhs of small hotel owners, vendors and delivery workers were facing unprecedented hardship due to steep price rise, supply shortages and alleged administrative failure at the Centre.
They demanded accountability from Union ministers from Karnataka.
"The Modi government's catastrophic mismanagement of the LPG and fuel ecosystem has triggered a full-blown livelihood crisis across Karnataka," they said in the statement.
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Highlighting a sharp escalation in prices, the statement noted that auto LPG prices had surged from Rs 58-61 per litre in March to Rs 105-120 per litre within weeks.
They further alleged that private outlets were charging as high as Rs 125 to Rs 135 per litre, while government outlets had largely ceased operations.
The leaders pointed to an "artificial shortage" of fuel, claiming that the number of operational LPG/CNG stations in Bengaluru had dropped from 60 to 70 to barely 10 to 15, amounting to nearly an 80 per cent shutdown.
Daily supply, they said, had halved from 12,000 litres to 6,000 litres, with fuel being rationed at Rs 400 per vehicle, forcing drivers to queue up from early morning for hours.
They underlined that Karnataka's over five lakh autos formed the backbone of last-mile connectivity and warned that nearly half were off the roads, while others were losing productive hours due to long queues. Criticising suggestions to switch to petrol, the statement termed it impractical and unaffordable, given rising petrol prices and phased-out petrol vehicles.
On the impact of rising commercial LPG prices, the leaders said a Rs 200 hike from April 1 had pushed the cost of a 19-kg cylinder beyond Rs 2,000, adding that after multiple increases in 45 days, prices had reached Rs 2,161 per cylinder and were reportedly being sold in the black market at up to Rs 6,000.
This, they said, had severely affected small eateries, roadside vendors and gig workers dependent on food services.
Asserting that LPG supply is controlled by the Centre through oil marketing companies, they said, "Let us be absolutely clear; LPG supply in India is controlled by the Central Government through OMCs. States have no control over procurement or allocation."
They further alleged that despite emergency supply orders, companies appeared to be ignoring directives, indicating a governance breakdown.
The leaders raised concerns over black market and potential further price hikes after the upcoming elections.
"This is not just a fuel crisis. This is a livelihood emergency affecting crores of citizens," they added.
The Congress leaders described the situation as a 'failure of leadership', stating that the Centre's inaction was pushing the working class towards distress and warned that public anger would reflect in the upcoming Assembly bye elections in Davanagere South and Bagalkote, as well as other polls across the country.
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Background of Delhi Assembly breach accused under scanner, booked for attempt to murder
New Delhi (PTI): The man behind the security breach at the Delhi Assembly on Monday is believed to be a supporter of the 2020-21 farmers' agitation with some history of mental health issues, with sources saying his background has raised multiple lines of inquiry for investigators.
Sarabjeet Singh, a 37-year-old resident of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended two hours after he drove an SUV through one of the boundary gates of the assembly and placed a flower bouquet in the speaker's vehicle parked on the porch. He has been booked forattempt to murder, among other charges.
According to preliminary findings, Sarabjeet left his home on April 1 and remained largely untraceable for five days before the incident. In this period, he contacted his family only once and did not disclose his location or travel plans.
"He travelled to Bareilly on April 2 and subsequently reached Delhi on the day of the breach," the source said.
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He also said that his family members told police that he becomes "difficult to control during such periods of illness" and that he often does not respond to family members during such episodes.
However, police said the exact state of his mental health is still being assessed as part of the ongoing probe and a medical examination is awaited.
The source said Sarabjeet was an active supporter of the farmers protest and had shared multiple posts on social media expressing solidarity with farmer leaders who died during the agitation. Several of these posts and videos were later deleted.
Investigators are also examining videos in which he is allegedly seen driving the same SUV at extremely high speeds, reportedly exceeding 150 kmph on empty roads. The vehicle, bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number, was purchased recently in February.
On the day of the incident, Sarabjeet is believed to have acted alone. He drove the SUV at a high speed, rammed through Gate No. 2 of the assembly premises to enter the complex. He then allegedly placed a bouquet and garland inside the official vehicle of Speaker Vijender Gupta and briefly sat inside the car before fleeing through the same gate.
Police said the accused has not yet disclosed the motive behind his actions. His movements, call records and digital footprint are being analysed to determine whether he was influenced by any person or group.
He was eventually apprehended along with two other persons from a police picket near a nala in the Roop Nagar area after an alert was issued across the city.
"All individuals are currently being questioned, and further investigation is underway," read the statement.
Delhi Police, in a statement, said that at around 2.10 pm, a white SUV forcefully entered the premises of the Delhi Assembly through Gate No. 2. "One individual, alighted from the vehicle and proceeded towards the porch area carrying a bouquet and a garland (mala) of marigold flowers. It is pertinent to mention that the Vidhan Sabha was not in session at the time," read the statement of the Delhi Police.
The accused drove the vehicle in a dangerous manner with apparent intent to run over security personnel on duty, thereby endangering their lives, a senior police officer said. When security staff tried to catch Sarabjeet, he fled.
A case has been registered at Civil Lines under appropriate sections of law, including attempt to murder, criminal trespass with preparation to commit offence, use of criminal force against a public servant, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, along with other relevant provisions pertaining to obstruction of public servants in discharge of duty.
