Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva on Wednesday urged Parliament to discuss the emerging fuel crisis caused by ongoing tensions between Iran, Israel and the US, warning that the global conflict is already affecting the Indian economy and households.
Participating in a discussion on the functioning of the Ministry of Rural Development in the Rajya Sabha, Siva said Parliament must address pressing national concerns that directly affect citizens. He said that although India was not directly involved in the conflict, the geopolitical situation had already begun to influence fuel availability and prices.
“Although India is not directly involved in the war, the developments have created a significant impact on fuel supplies, especially natural gas and cooking gas,” Siva said. He added that several states are holding urgent meetings to address the shortage and high prices.
According to the DMK leader, restaurants in some places were facing closure due to shortage of gas supply, while families, especially housewives, were grappling with rising costs. He said: “When Parliament is in session and people’s issues are not discussed, they will be concerned and we will be responsible,” calling on the government to clarify its readiness to deal with the potential fuel crisis.
Turning to rural development policies, Siva questioned the Centre’s funding structure for centrally sponsored programmes, arguing that such programs should be fully funded by the Union government. He said many schemes had been shifted to a 60:40 funding pattern between the Center and the states, which he said had imposed a financial burden on the state governments.
He specifically referred to a scheme dubbed Viksit Bharat – Mission Rozgar and Ajeevika (Gramin) Guarantee (VB—G RAM G), alleging that the Center had allocated a major chunk of funds for it while reducing allocations to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
“The budget allocation is approx $1.97 crore shows that the lion’s share goes to this new scheme, while approx $An amount of Rs 30,000 crore has been reserved for MGNREGA,” he said, alleging that the amount was largely aimed at settling pending dues.
Siva also claimed that material components under Tamil Nadu’s MGNREGA are still pending despite repeated requests. He said about 91,000 active workers in the state depend on the scheme and demanded clarity on the future of rural employment if the scheme is curtailed.
The DMK MP also criticized the government for removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA and shifting Gandhi’s statue from the Parliament building, calling it a symbol of the government’s approach to the historic rural employment scheme.
Siva urged the Center not to stop welfare programs started by previous governments and pointed to the continuation of the Golden Quadrilateral project, initiated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as an example of policy continuity.
