CHENNAI: The DMK on Thursday slammed the ruling BJP at the Centre over the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, stating that it was facing criticism for heading towards failure in foreign policy.
Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said the union government should answer the questions of common citizens on resolving the fuel shortage.
He also attacked the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, asking whether he would question his "masters in Delhi" over the crisis.
In a two-minute video shared on his official social media account on Thursday, Poyyamozhi said, "The BJP government has failed to engage with the states and is facing criticism for its handling of foreign policy."
"As a citizen of this country, I question whether the Centre is properly handling the LPG shortage issue arising due to the situation in West Asia," he said.
He ridiculed the AIADMK, alleging that it had ignored public interest and had effectively "mortgaged" itself in Delhi.
"That is why the AIADMK is unable to speak about its own rights, and without understanding foreign policy, it is fighting an imaginary battle against the state government over the gas cylinder issue," he alleged.
He said the DMK government had convened an emergency meeting on March 10, and Chief Minister M K Stalin had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a swift solution.
The CM had assured that the Tamil Nadu government would support the union government's actions, he added.
"Our Dravidian model chief minister acted responsibly and made key announcements on the gas shortage," he said.
The minister claimed that despite steps taken by the DMK government, the BJP had approached the issue with "negligence".
He noted that the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance staged demonstrations across Tamil Nadu on March 15, and MPs of alliance parties also protested within Parliament premises.
He alleged that even after these efforts, the union government had shown no initiative to manage the gas shortage and had instead created panic by asking people to be prepared.
"Will there be an answer to the people's question on what the responsible BJP government is doing? The union government must answer these concerns of common citizens," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced the formation of seven empowered groups to address the potential long-term impacts of the West Asia war and urged states to work with the Centre in a "Team India" approach to tackle the crisis.