'Crisis is deepening': Kharge attacks Modi govt, demands Parliament discussion on West Asia conflict

Kharge said the government was "prescient about" the impending war in West Asia but it "did nothing to secure India’s energy supply."

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday demanded a full-fledged discussion in Parliament on the "crisis" in West Asia with Prime Minister Narendra Modi answering the nation on the emerging situation as people are staring at a "grim situation" with energy shortage looming large.

Insisting that the country "deserves the truth" as the Modi government's "fake 'source based' assurances" have exposed its "utter incompetence", he said the government was "prescient about" the impending war in West Asia but it "did nothing to secure India’s energy supply" even as the "deepening" crisis has led to hardships for the people.

"The country deserves the truth. We demand a full discussion on this crisis in Parliament and the Prime Minister must answer the nation," Kharge, also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, posted on X, even as the Opposition protested in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha against the government accusing it of not doing enough to tackle the situation.

He claimed that the "pattern of denial is not new" and cited the handling of demonetisation and COVID-19 pandemic.

During demonetisation, he said people were told by the Prime Minister that cash shortages would end in 50 days and if it is not the case, he was ready to face any punishment while during COVID-19 was described as "not a serious emergency" but the nation witnessed bodies in the Ganga and "catastrophic" mismanagement.

On West Asia, Kharge said, "now we are told India has 74 days of oil and energy stocks. The situation remains grim."

He claimed that the farmers are first in the line to suffer as fuel shortages hit agriculture and fertiliser supply. Rationing of LPG cylinders has begun and long queues for refills are being witnessed while acute shortage of commercial cylinders with a wait of up to 25 days for domestic cylinders, he said.

Restaurants and small eateries are shutting down and hoarding and black marketing is spreading, said Kharge. "60,000 tonnes of Basmati exports are stuck. Wheat exports disrupted. Medicine prices are likely to surge as raw material costs rise nearly 30 per cent. Textile sector facing cascading cost pressures. Aviation fuel rising. Air travel is becoming costlier. Steelmakers under severe input cost pressure," he said.

"From ceramics and glass to FMCG and automobiles, every sector is feeling the heat. Every product is likely to become costlier," Kharge added.