Indian political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla criticised Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the rising LPG supply concerns in India, alleging poor planning and lack of preparedness.
Taking to social media platform X, Poonawalla urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Puri from the ministry, claiming the government failed to anticipate disruptions linked to the ongoing West Asia crisis.
Poonawalla Blames Minister For ‘Poor Planning’
In his post, Poonawalla accused the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of mishandling the LPG situation affecting households as well as businesses such as restaurants and hotels.
Calling the situation a result of “incompetence and arrogance,” he claimed the crisis could have been avoided with better planning and timely action.
Poonawalla also alleged that the government responded too late despite early warnings about potential supply disruptions.
Claims He Warned About LPG Crisis Earlier
Poonawalla said he had repeatedly warned about the possibility of an LPG shortage since early March, sharing references to his previous posts and statements as proof.
According to him, authorities failed to take adequate preventive measures even after concerns were raised about geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
He positioned his earlier warnings as evidence that the situation was foreseeable.
Raises Concern Over Lack Of Strategic LPG Reserve
A key point raised by Poonawalla was the absence of a dedicated strategic reserve for LPG in India.
He argued that while the country maintains strategic petroleum reserves for crude oil, there is no comparable buffer stock specifically for LPG, which he described as a major planning gap.
According to him, this lack of reserves has made India more vulnerable during supply disruptions.
Strait Of Hormuz Disruptions Highlighted
Poonawalla also pointed out that around 80–85% of India’s LPG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy chokepoint.
With regional tensions affecting shipments through the route, he claimed the risk to LPG supply was well known and should have been anticipated by policymakers.
He argued that disruptions along this route are now impacting households as well as the hospitality and service sectors.
'Blockade Will Continue Until Strikes End': Iran Warns US, Israel Over Strait Of Hormuz
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that the blockade on oil exports will continue as long as attacks by the United States and Israel persist. A spokesperson said Iran would decide when the war ends, dismissing remarks by Donald Trump as “nonsense.”
In response, Trump issued a fresh warning on Truth Social, saying if Iran attempts to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would retaliate “twenty times harder” than before.
