Modi government protecting GSPC from being declared bankrupt: Jairam
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Citing an RBI notification, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday demanded that the SBI should declare Gujarat State Petroleum Corp (GSPC) bankrupt and said the company owed Rs 12,000 crore to several banks.
He accused the Modi government of trying to protect the company from being declared bankrupt.
Ramesh said that on February 12, the Reserve Bank of India issued a circular stating that any company that owed more than Rs 2,000 crore to banks should be declared bankrupt within 180 days.
"GSPC's highest debt is from SBI, which is Rs 1,200 crore. According to RBI's notification, SBI should declare GSPC bankrupt," said Ramesh.
"Last month GSPC submitted a 15-page document, entitled ‘Gujarat State Petroleum Corp Debt Resolution Plan' to SBI for the restructuring of outstanding loan. Therefore, it is beyond any doubt that GSPC is not in a position to repay the loan," he added.
Ramesh said: "GSPC has also suggested to transfer a portion of this outstanding loan to the Gujarat State Financial Services (GSFS) and Gujarat State Investment Ltd (GSIL)."
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's term as Gujarat Chief Minister, the GSPC was cited as one of the greatest examples of the Gujarat Model.
"In 70 years, for the first time the Central government has filed an affidavit challenging a circular of the RBI in High Court with the only intention of saving GSPC," said Ramesh.
"In its affidavit, the government said they are not in agreement with the RBI circular and the period of 180 days needed to be extended to 360 days. Some power companies have moved the court, which includes Adani Power. So, this is another big scam after Rafale Deal," he added.
He said SBI was under pressure to take a decision on the loan restructuring to avoid GSPC being declared bankrupt, because in case it was declared bankrupt, it would be a huge blow to the Prime Minister.
Even after the sanction of Rs 20,000 crore to GSPC, no oil or gas was extracted, he said.
Ramesh said this raised questions about the priorities and intentions of Modi. "The PM has not spoken a word on the GSPC issue after 2007. Why is he silent?"
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‘Self-styled Vishwaguru stands exposed’: Cong's dig at PM over Pak role in US-Iran ceasefire
New Delhi (PTI): Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Wednesday said the role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire between the US and Iran is a “severe setback” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “highly personalised diplomacy” and “the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed”.
The opposition party also said Prime Minister Modi's “cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the entire world will cautiously welcome the two-week ceasefire in the West Asia conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“The conflict had begun on February 28th with the targeted assassinations of the topmost echelons of the regime in Iran. These had started just two days after Prime Minister Modi had completed his much-trumpeted visit to Israel, a visit that diminished India’s global stature and standing,” Ramesh claimed.
PM Modi had said nothing about Israel’s "genocide" in Gaza and its aggressively expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, Ramesh said.
“The role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire is a severe setback to both the substance and style of Mr Modi’s highly personalised diplomacy,” he said.
The policy to isolate Pakistan for its continuing support to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and to convince the world that it is a failed state has clearly not succeeded – unlike what Manmohan Singh had accomplished after the Mumbai terror attacks, Ramesh claimed.
That a bankrupt economy dependent entirely on the largesse of external donors and a broken country in so many ways was able to play such a role calls into question Modi’s strategy of engagement and narrative management, he said.
“He (Modi) or his team has also never explained why Op Sindoor was suddenly and abruptly halted on May 10th 2025 - the first announcement of which came from the US Secretary of State and for which the US President has claimed credit almost a hundred times since then,” the Congress leader said.
“There is a palpable sigh of relief everywhere. The External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) dismissed Pakistan as a dalal. But now the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed, his self-declared 56-inch chest shrunk and shrivelled,” Ramesh said.
“His cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House,” the Congress leader added.
US President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, as the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump swerved to de-escalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy the Iranian civilisation.
Trump made the dramatic announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday evening (US time) even as Democrats called for his removal over unhinged threats to wipe out the Iranian civilisation.
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the US President said in a social media post.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.
Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday.
