Rahul Gandhi is Congress' Prime Ministerial candidate: Mallikarjun Kharge
Kalburgi, Oct 23: AICC President Rahul Gandhi will be the prime ministerial candidate of the party in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said "former Union Minister P. Chidambaram's statement, in which he said that there are least chances of Maha Gathbandhan making Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate, is his personal view.
"There is still a lot of time for Lok Sabha elections. Who would be the prime ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan will be decided near the election. The leaders of all the alliance parties will discuss and finalize the prime ministerial candidate," he added.
I being a Congressmen will take Rahul Gandhi's name for the prime ministerial candidate from our party," Mallikarjun Kharge added.
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CM Siddaramaiah urges Centre to increase LPG supply
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged the Centre to immediately intervene to address a severe shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru, saying the crisis is forcing restaurants and related establishments to shut down and impacting a wide cross-section of the public dependent on the hospitality sector.
In a letter written to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday and shared with the media on Thursday, Siddaramaiah highlighted a sharp mismatch between demand and supply, noting that only a fraction of the required cylinders is being made available.
“As against the demand of 50,000 LPG cylinders from restaurants, hotels, catering establishments and PG accommodations etc., we are able to supply only 1,000 cylinders per day,” the Chief Minister said.
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He added that the shortage has led to a visible increase in shutting down of establishments due to unavailability of commercial LPG, affecting students, IT professionals, farmers, dairy producers and others reliant on the hospitality ecosystem.
Referring to recent directions from the Ministry prioritising domestic LPG supply, Siddaramaiah said the State has taken steps to regulate allocation for essential segments in line with the Centre’s guidelines, but the situation remains critical.
The CM also flagged the absence of an integrated monitoring system for commercial LPG distribution, in contrast to the existing IT system for domestic gas supply, leading to gaps in transparency and oversight.
He further pointed out that Auto LPG, a key fuel for autorickshaws that provide last-mile connectivity in Bengaluru, is also facing similar issues due to the lack of a monitoring mechanism.
Noting that India is expected to receive two LPG tankers soon, Siddaramaiah sought the Union Minister’s intervention to ensure adequate allocation to Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, considering its operational needs and dependency patterns.
“I request your kind intervention to ensure adequate allocation and availability of commercial LPG and Auto LPG to Karnataka, keeping in view the operational requirements and unique dependency patterns of the State, especially city of Bengaluru,” he said.
