West Asia conflict: Oppn slams PM Modi over delayed response on energy

AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused PM Modi of putting the nation under threat over the West Asia conflict due to a delayed response on energy security. Other opposition leaders echoed this, raising concerns over fuel prices and the food supply chain.

Opposition slams govt's delayed response

AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of putting the nation under threat amid the West Asia conflict. Speaking to ANI regarding the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Sunday, the AAP MP questioned the delayed response of the government in attempting to safeguard the energy requirements of the country. "Why did this meeting not take place earlier? You did it now, when the shortage of gas and oil will increase... Every other country talked to Iran, and their ships are coming...Their affairs have not been hampered. It took 13 days for the government to wake up from its sleep and talk to the Iranian President. You (government) deliberately put the nation under threat. I say this because the citizens might not know, but the governemnt and the EAM knew that 60% of crude oil and 50% of natural gas are imported to India via the Strait of Hormuz, which is under the control of Iran. So we are trying to mess with a country that secures our energy requirements," he argued.

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav seconded Singh's remarks, asking the government to further its measures in navigating the crisis. including the disruption of the food supply chain. "The opposition has been saying this since the beginning, but the government did not accept... We must speak on all of these issues, and the government should work on such things, including the disruption of the food supply chain...," she said.

Congress MP Mallu Ravi also raised concerns over the delayed conduct of the review meeting and asked for an All-Party meeting on the issue. "The Prime Minister should have called for an All-Party meeting in the beginning so that the problem regarding LPG could have been avoided. Now it looks like a post-mortem... This is the time for calling an All-Party meeting and taking the opinion of the nation..," he said.

Calls for accountability and action on price rise

Meanwhile, Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh deemed the government incapable of managing the situation. Questioning the outcome of the CCS meeting, he demanded that the PM inform the nation regarding the arrangements made by the government. "The people want to know what the outcome of the meeting was, and that's why it did not take place earlier... We demand that during the Parliament session, the Prime Minister assure the people how people's money is being saved and what arrangements have been made to ensure that people don't face problems... The government is proving to be incapable...," he said.

Expressing similar demand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi aso asked the Prime Minister to clarify the stance of the country amid the crisis. "If the PM speaks about the situation in the country and how we will face the expected problems, then the country will come to know about the situation...," she asked.

Further, Samajwadi Party MP Rajiv Rai called the increase in oil prices an excuse by the government. He also questioned the governemnt's silence on the situation of the Indian students stranded in the warring nations. "A CM of your government sent our kids to Israel, propagating it as a big achievement. Today, since you are conducting the high-level meeting, I request that you also address the safe repatriation of our students. The MEA is silent, the CM is silent, the PM is silent. As for the energy crisis, I want to ask the governemnt, what percentage did the government reduce when the crude oil prices reduced to 30-40%? Now you are excusing the crisis and increasing the prices. I have already filed an adjournment motion and will try to raise this issue sometime in the Parliament," he said.

JMM MP Mahua Majhi asked the Prime Minister to hold a meeting with the opposition leaders regarding the conflict-mitigating measures, expressing criticism of the increased prices of LPG and petrol in the country. "This is a time of crisis, and it was being said that the war would stop, but nothing like that is visible. The spectre of World War III is looming... There is a shortage of LPG and petrol. The price of LPG has also increased. They should hold a meeting with the opposition leaders... This is a matter of the interest of the entire country," she said.

Additionally, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla criticised the increase in the price of LPG and attributed it to the government's "wrong foreign policies." "The war should stop at all costs... Fuel prices are on the rise in the country... The government has increased the prices of LPG... Due to the government's wrong foreign policies, the nation is suffering...," he said.

Escalating US-Iran tensions

Meanwhile, as the conflict between the US-Israel and Iran enters its fourth week, the Iranian Armed Forces headquarters has said that it is ready to close the Strait of Hormuz "indefinitely" if the United States threatens to bomb Iranian energy facilities, CNN reported.

This comes as the US President on Saturday said that he would bomb Iranian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not open to shipping in the next 48 hours.

US Centcom said that U.S. forces are destroying Iranian naval targets that threaten international shipping in and near the Strait of Hormuz. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)