'Ab Shadi Niptengi Salad me?' Akhilesh Yadav shares video of people cooking on a wooden chulha amid LPG gas cylinder shortage

Just when families across North India are busy planning and organising shaadis, a sharp couplet posted by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav about LPG cooking gas shortages has captured the frustration of millions staring at empty cylinders. Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav dropped a sharp, satirical verse late with two-line punch. The lines poke fun at the idea that weddings may soon have to manage without cooking gas cylinders.

“दम है बाराती-घराती के इस बड़े सवाल में
अब क्या शादी निपटायी जाएंगी सलाद में…”


(Translation: “There’s real fire in this big question from the bride’s and groom’s families — will weddings now be wrapped up with just salads? Without a cylinder, everything feels empty…”)

Also Read: PNG also hit after LPG cylinder shortage; IGL imposes 20% cut on piped gas supply for these Delhi-NCR users

Along with the couplet, Yadav posted a video shot at night where dozens of cooks can be seen working around large traditional chulhas. Flames rise high as they prepare dal, vegetables and rotis in giant cauldrons for hundreds of guests. The scene shows a stark contrast to modern wedding kitchens that usually run on LPG stoves.

The clip appears to suggest that when gas cylinders become expensive or difficult to get, even grand celebrations can fall back on older, labour-heavy cooking methods.

Allegations of LPG shortage in Uttar Pradesh

A day earlier, Yadav had also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government of failing to ensure smooth LPG supply.

In a post on X, the Samajwadi Party leader wrote: "The cylinder of BJP's 'achhe din' has run empty."

Also Read: Archana Puran Singh says son Aaryamann once played international football in Iran, later battled bullying and depression

He claimed that people were standing in long queues for refills but were being told that cylinders would not be delivered without a Delivery Authentication Code (DAC).

Yadav also shared another video that purportedly shows people waiting outside a gas refill outlet with empty cylinders. However, the location of the footage was not immediately clear.

Questions over DAC and server issues

According to Yadav, many consumers were told they could not receive cylinders because DAC numbers were not being generated due to server problems.

People, he said, were questioning why they should face delays for a technical issue.

"Running the server is the government's responsibility," Yadav said.

Also Read: Band baaja, but no khana: LPG cylinder shortage hits marriages during peak wedding season

He also alleged that distributors were refusing cylinders while checking old passbooks, a practice he described as unfair.

Black market claims and sharp comparison

The Samajwadi Party chief further alleged that some BJP leaders and workers were encouraging black marketing of LPG cylinders.

According to him, desperate consumers were being forced to pay several times the regular price to obtain cylinders through unofficial channels.

Drawing a comparison with the pandemic period, Yadav said: "Earlier, people wandered in search of oxygen cylinders, now they are wandering for cooking gas cylinders."

Complaints surface from several places

Across several parts of Uttar Pradesh, residents have complained about delays in receiving LPG cylinders, especially during the busy wedding season when demand for cooking fuel rises sharply.

Yadav alleged that families were struggling to cook meals and questioned whether the government would step in to help those facing shortages, even suggesting community kitchens if the situation worsens.

For now, his two-line wedding joke has travelled far beyond politics, becoming a talking point online and reflecting the everyday anxieties of households staring at empty gas cylinders.