Gas grandly promised by Modi has remained that -- gas: Cong's dig at PM
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India's increasing dependence on crude oil, LPG and natural gas imports.
"The gas grandly promised by Mr Modi has remained that -- gas," Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said on X, pointing to India's dependence on natural gas imports.
"Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, India's dependence on crude oil imports went up from 84% to 90%. Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, India's dependence on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) imports went up from 46% to 62%," Ramesh said, adding that "all this when the mantra was supposed to be Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance."
The natural gas story is murkier, he claimed.
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"On June 26, 2005, the then CM of Gujarat (Modi) boasted that the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation had discovered India's biggest gas reserve in the deep waters of the Krishna-Godavari river basin. Mr Modi announced that this would make India energy independent," Ramesh said.
He claimed that five CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) reports between 2011 and 2016 were to reveal later that this was a "Rs 20,000 crore scam, which was subsequently covered by the prime minister, forcing Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation's merger into Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in August 2017".
The Congress leader's remarks come amid reports of panic buying and long queues at petrol pumps and LPG distributors. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, for the first time since the war in West Asia broke out, released stock details of crude oil, fuel and LPG as it rushed to calm nerves.
India has about 60 days of oil stock cover and has arranged one full month of LPG supply, the government said on Thursday, adding that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG, calling reports of shortages a "deliberate misinformation campaign" aimed at triggering panic buying.
The state-owned oil marketing companies also said there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG and supplies remain stable.
In a statement, the petroleum ministry said that all petrol pumps across the country are adequately stocked and operating normally, with no rationing of petrol or diesel.
The opposition has been staging protests in the Parliament House complex over the reported LPG supply crunch.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday interact with the chief ministers of all states, barring those that are going to polls, and review their preparedness and plans in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
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Excise cuts won't change fuel price for consumers, relief only in narrative: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday claimed that the government's
excise cuts will not change prices for dealers and consumers, and that the relief exists only in the narrative, not in reality.
The government has slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 per litre and exempted diesel fully from the duty.
The Congress said the government should focus on delivering actual relief to consumers, instead of "manufacturing headlines and fooling people."
The party's media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said, "If you saw the headlines about petrol and diesel prices 'coming down' and thought the government had offered relief to your pocket, you'd be mistaken."
As of now, prices remain the same for dealers and for consumers, he claimed.
"What has actually been reduced is the 'special additional excise duty' — a levy paid by Oil Marketing Companies to the government. The words 'special' and 'additional' reveal how unnecessary this tax is," Khera said on X.
He pointed out that these companies have been absorbing losses since the outbreak of the conflict in West Asia.
"The government has now merely agreed to share a small part of that burden but reducing the 'special additional' levy - that too almost a month later," the Congress leader said.
"Relief exists but only in the narrative -- not in reality. Instead of manufacturing headlines and fooling people, the government should focus on delivering actual relief to consumers," Khera said.
Global crude prices have risen by almost 50 per cent since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering sweeping retaliation from Tehran.
In a notification issued late on March 26, the Finance ministry cut excise duty to Rs 3 a litre, from Rs 13 a litre earlier, while the levy on diesel was slashed to nil from Rs 10 earlier. The duty cuts are effective immediately, the ministry said.
Despite the spike in international prices, retail pump rates have not been changed, putting a strain on the finances of oil companies.
The government cuts stand to give some relief to oil companies.
Tracking the excise duty cut notification, shares of fuel retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL opened higher on BSE.
International oil prices touched USD 119 per barrel earlier this month, before pulling back to around USD 100 per barrel.
India imports 88 per cent of its crude oil and roughly half of its natural gas. These mostly come via the Strait of Hormuz.
