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Kejriwal Blames Modi’s Foreign Policy for LPG Crisis, Accuses PM of “Dragging India into Global Conflict”
As India grapples with a severe shortage of LPG cooking gas, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of abandoning India’s traditional diplomatic neutrality and pushing the country into a geopolitical crisis that is now hurting ordinary citizens and businesses.
Speaking about the rapidly developing situation, Kejriwal warned that the LPG shortage could lead to widespread economic disruption, including the closure of thousands of restaurants and factories and the possible loss of over one crore jobs.
But beyond the immediate economic consequences, Kejriwal placed the blame squarely on what he described as “reckless foreign policy decisions” taken by the Modi government.
LPG Supply Shock Hits the Country
Kejriwal explained that India depends heavily on imported LPG. Around 60% of the country’s LPG supply is imported, and nearly 90% of those imports pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
With tensions escalating in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, shipments through the route have reportedly been disrupted for India.
According to Kejriwal, the result is a dramatic supply shock.
“Nearly 90% of our imported LPG has effectively stopped, which means the country’s total supply has dropped by around 50–55%,” he said.
Restaurants and hotels have been hit first because they rely on daily LPG deliveries and cannot stockpile cylinders due to safety rules.
In Mumbai, he said, about 20% of restaurants have already shut down, and that number could reach 50% within days if supplies do not resume. In Tamil Nadu, nearly 10,000 hotels and restaurants are reportedly on the verge of closure. Similar disruptions are expected in Punjab and Delhi NCR, he warned.
The timing could not be worse, he added, pointing out that the crisis has struck during India’s peak wedding season, when the hospitality sector is typically at its busiest.
Industrial regions could soon follow. Kejriwal cited Morbi in Gujarat, a major tile manufacturing hub, where hundreds of factories depend on gas supplies.
“If industries shut down at this scale, more than one crore people could suddenly lose their jobs,” he warned.
“India Had No Stake in This War”
However, Kejriwal argued that the root cause of the crisis lies not only in global conflict but in what he described as a major diplomatic blunder by the Modi government.
According to him, India historically followed a policy of neutrality through the Non-Aligned Movement, maintaining balanced relations even during major global conflicts.
Kejriwal accused Modi of abandoning that tradition.
“India had no stake in this war,” he said. “We should not have taken sides. But the Prime Minister chose to stand openly with Israel and the United States.”
He specifically criticized Modi for visiting Israel and publicly embracing its leadership shortly before tensions escalated.
“Why did the Prime Minister go to Israel just a day before the conflict intensified?” Kejriwal asked. “Why did he publicly hug its leadership at such a sensitive moment? Those actions signaled that India had chosen a side.”
According to him, this shift alienated Iran — a country he described as a long-time partner of India.
“India Being Reduced to an American Colony”
Kejriwal’s sharpest remarks were directed at what he called India’s growing dependence on Washington.
He alleged that Modi has increasingly aligned India’s policies with those of former U.S. President Donald Trump, even when it harms India’s own economic interests.
“Prime Minister Modi has made the mistake of turning India into an American colony,” Kejriwal said.
He cited the earlier decision to reduce oil purchases from Russia under U.S. pressure, arguing that the move damaged industries and agriculture across India.
“Millions of farmers suffered, industries shut down, and jobs were lost — all because the government followed Washington’s instructions,” he claimed.
Kejriwal went further, accusing Modi of humiliating India on the global stage.
“Every day, small officials in America mock India and our Prime Minister on television,” he said. “The country that once commanded respect around the world is now being treated like a subordinate.”
A Call for Accountability
Kejriwal concluded with a direct challenge to the prime minister, demanding that India’s foreign policy be guided by national interests rather than external pressure.
“If there are compulsions or secrets forcing the Prime Minister to act this way, he should resign,” Kejriwal said.
“India’s foreign policy should serve the interests of 140 crore Indians — not the interests of another country.”
With the LPG crisis escalating and geopolitical tensions still unfolding, Kejriwal’s remarks are likely to intensify the political debate over India’s foreign policy and its economic consequences at home.
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