Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 11: Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday demanded a full-fledged discussion in Parliament on the crisis in West Asia, urging Narendra Modi to address the nation on the emerging situation amid fears of an energy shortage.

The Congress chief said the country “deserves the truth” and criticised the government’s “source-based assurances”, claiming they had exposed the administration’s alleged incompetence in handling the evolving crisis.

“The country deserves the truth. We demand a full discussion on this crisis in Parliament and the Prime Minister must answer the nation,” Kharge posted on X.

Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, made the demand as Opposition parties staged protests in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, accusing the government of not doing enough to address the situation arising from the escalating tensions in West Asia.

He alleged that the government was aware of the possibility of a war in the region but failed to take adequate steps to secure India’s energy supplies even as the deepening crisis has begun affecting people.

Claiming that the government’s “pattern of denial is not new”, Kharge cited the handling of 2016 Indian demonetisation and the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

He said that during demonetisation, the Prime Minister had assured that the cash shortage would end in 50 days, while during the COVID-19 pandemic the situation was initially described as “not a serious emergency”, but later led to what he termed “catastrophic mismanagement”.

Referring to the current situation in West Asia, Kharge said that although the government has claimed India has about 74 days of oil and energy stocks, the situation remains grim.
He warned that farmers would be among the first to suffer if fuel shortages begin to affect agriculture and fertiliser supply.

Kharge also alleged that rationing of LPG cylinders had begun, with long queues for refills and shortages of commercial cylinders. According to him, domestic LPG cylinders are facing waiting periods of up to 25 days.

He further claimed that the economic impact of the crisis was already being felt across sectors. Restaurants and small eateries were shutting down, while hoarding and black marketing were spreading, he said.

Highlighting disruptions in trade and industry, Kharge said that around 60,000 tonnes of basmati rice exports were stuck and wheat exports had been disrupted. He also warned that medicine prices could rise as raw material costs increase by nearly 30 per cent.

The Congress leader added that the textile sector was facing rising costs, aviation fuel prices were increasing, and air travel was becoming more expensive. Steel manufacturers were also under pressure due to rising input costs.

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