PM Modi to review with senior ministers situation arising following West Asia conflict

New Delhii: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening will review with a group of senior cabinet ministers the situation arising due to the West Asia conflict and the availability of critical needs including food, energy and fuel security of common people.

The meeting is expected to be held after the prime minister returns from Assam, where he has gone for campaigning in the assembly election there, this evening, official sources said.

The Union ministers who are expected to attend the meeting include Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, J P Nadda, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Manohar Lal Khattar, Pralhad Joshi, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Hardeep Singh Puri are also expected to attend it.

NSA Ajit Doval, the prime minister's two principal secretaries, P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, and Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan are also expected to attend it.

Last Sunday, in his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, the prime minister termed as "challenging" the situation emerging due to the ongoing "fierce war" in West Asia and urged all citizens to join hands to overcome the difficulties.

Modi also cautioned those who are politicising the present crisis and asked them to refrain from doing so and said there is no place for self-serving politics in the prevailing situation.

He said those who are spreading rumours are causing major harm to the country.

"Presently, a fierce war has been going on in our neighbourhood for a month. These certainly are challenging times. Today, through 'Mann Ki Baat', I would once again urge all my countrymen that we must unitedly overcome this challenge," he said.

On March 22, the prime minister held a similar meeting with the same set of ministers and offices and reviewed the situation arising out of the conflict in West Asia and a detailed assessment was made on the availability of critical needs of the common people, including food, energy and fuel security.

At that meeting, Prime Minister Modi had said the conflict was an evolving situation and the entire world was affected in some form.

In such a situation, he said, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict.

Modi instructed that all arms of the government should work together to ensure the least inconvenience to the citizens.

On March 12, PM Modi had said that the war in West Asia has triggered a worldwide energy crisis, posing a critical test of national character that requires dealing with circumstances through peace, patience and increased public awareness.

The prime minister emphasised that his government is working relentlessly to address disruptions that have emerged in international supply chains.

"Continuous efforts are also underway to determine how we can overcome the disruptions that have occurred in the supply chain," Modi had said.

The prime minister has spoken to many global leaders since the West Asia conflict started on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Iran has retaliated by targeting Israel and several of its Gulf neighbours.

Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world's energy is transported. Since the conflict, very few ships have been allowed by Iran to cross it.

The blockade has resulted in severe disruptions in energy supply to many countries, including India.

Since the conflict, Modi has had telephonic conversations with leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, France, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Israel and Iran.

He has also spoken to US President Donald Trump. After a telephonic conversation between the two on March 24, Modi said he "had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia".