BJP rejects claims of migrant exodus over LPG shortage
The Delhi BJP on Sunday dismissed claims that migrant communities are leaving the national Capital due to an LPG shortage, calling the allegation “misleading” and “imaginary,” while asserting that the situation is under control.
In a joint statement, Delhi BJP Vice President Dinesh Pratap Singh and Purvanchal Morcha President Santosh Ojha criticised remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sanjeev Jha. The AAP leader had claimed that migrants from Purvanchal and other states were facing a livelihood crisis due to a gas shortage and might be forced to leave Delhi, risking their voting rights.
Rejecting the claim, BJP leaders said there is no large-scale migration linked to the LPG situation. They stated that only a negligible number of migrants, if any, have left the city due to the issue. The leaders said the narrative of a migrant exodus is not based on facts and is intended to mislead the public. They added that migrant communities in Delhi continue to live and work in the city without any widespread disruption.
Referring to past events, the BJP leaders said migrant communities have not forgotten the COVID-19 lockdown period. They alleged that during that time, the Delhi Government had made announcements that led to migrants returning to their native villages. On the current situation, Singh and Ojha acknowledged that there is a limited shortage of LPG in some areas.
However, they said it does not amount to a crisis. According to them, gas supply is available through regular booking channels. They added that even commercial LPG connection holders are receiving around 75 per cent of their usual supply. As a temporary measure, authorities have also permitted the use of coal for cooking in certain situations. Earlier, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha has called out the BJP Government for engineering an LPG crisis in Delhi to drive out poor migrant workers. He stated that the shortage is not accidental but a calculated move to force workers, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, back to their home states so their votes can later be removed through SIR.
He further stated that black marketing is being enabled under government protection, with gas selling at Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per kilo, leaving migrant workers without fuel or work and pushing them to leave the city.
Jha said that this crisis affects even those who have registered gas cylinders and stated, “Many workers from Bihar and UP working in Delhi do not have registered gas cylinders. They used to fill smaller cylinders to run their household kitchens. Now they are either not getting gas at all or are being forced to buy it at arbitrary and extremely high prices (Rs 500-Rs 1000 per kilo).”
The BJP leaders said the shortage is more visible among people who do not have valid LPG connections. They stated that such individuals often depend on illegal open-market refilling of small cylinders, which has contributed to the perception of a larger shortage. To address this, the BJP said its Ujjwala Scheme department is working at the local level to ensure wider access to legal LPG connections. The effort is focused on helping economically weaker sections obtain proper gas connections through formal channels.
The BJP maintained that the situation is being managed and there is no immediate cause for concern. It urged people not to be influenced by what it described as incorrect and exaggerated claims.
