New Delhi, March 11 The Congress on Wednesday demanded a full-fledged discussion in Parliament on the West Asia crisis, which has led to an energy shortage, saying that the people of the country deserve to know the truth.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the energy crisis is deepening in the country, and people are being made to suffer the hardships.
"The Modi Government's false 'source-based' assurances expose its utter incompetence. The Union Government was aware of the impending war in West Asia. Yet, it did nothing to secure India's energy supply," he said in a post on X.
"The country deserves the truth. We demand a full discussion on this crisis in Parliament, and the Prime Minister must answer the nation," the Congress chief said.
He claimed that farmers are first in line to suffer as fuel shortages hit agriculture and fertilizer supply.
Rationing of LPG cylinders has begun, he said, claiming that long queues for refills are being witnessed at gas agencies.
There is an acute shortage of commercial cylinders – a wait of up to 25 days for domestic cylinders, he said, adding that restaurants and small eateries are closing down, and hoarding and black marketing are spreading.
"60,000 tonnes of Basmati exports are stuck. Wheat exports have been disrupted. Medicine prices are likely to surge as raw material costs have risen nearly 30 percent.
"The textile sector is facing cascading cost pressures. Aviation fuel is rising. Air travel is becoming more expensive. Steelmakers are under severe input cost pressure.
"From ceramics and glass to FMCG and automobiles, every sector is feeling the heat. Every product is likely to become more expensive," Kharge claimed in his post.
Noting that this pattern of denial is not new, he said, "We were told that cash shortages would end in 50 days" and said people were told that the prime minister was ready for any punishment they give.
During the COVID pandemic, he said, "We were told it was not a serious emergency. The nation witnessed bodies in the Ganga and catastrophic mismanagement."
On the West Asia war, the Congress leader said, "Now we are told that India has 74 days of oil and energy stocks. The situation remains grim."
The Congress staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha and protested in the Lok Sabha after being dissatisfied with the statement of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in both houses of Parliament on Monday.
India on Monday advocated de-escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all underlying issues, as it put the safety of around one crore Indians in the region as its top priority, along with securing energy security and trade.
The US and Israel launched a major military attack on Iran on February 28, killing its 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The war has so far killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.
Making a suo-motu statement in Parliament, Jaishankar said that New Delhi stood for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region. He defended allowing the Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port as the right decision taken on humanitarian grounds.
He said that the Indian government has been constantly monitoring the evolving situation in the region at the highest level and has already brought back 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone.
