Govt 'bartered' right to determine ties with oil suppliers; energy security compromised: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that India's energy security has been "compromised" due to a "flawed" foreign policy and that the government has "bartered" to the US the right to determine relationships with different oil suppliers.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said the war between the US-Israel and Iran is going to have far-reaching consequences.
"The central artery from where 20 pc of global oil flows, Strait of Hormuz, has been closed and this is going to have tremendous repercussions, particularly for us because a very large portion of our oil and natural gas comes through the Strait of Hormuz," Gandhi said.
"The pain has just started -- restaurants are closing, there is widespread panic about LPG, street vendors are affected and as I said, this is only the beginning," the former Congress president said.
The foundation of every single nation is its energy security, Gandhi asserted.
"I do not say this lightly, but allowing the US to decide who we buy oil, gas from... whether we buy oil from Russia or not, whether our relationship with different oil suppliers can be decided by us, this is what has been bartered," the Congress leader said.
"This is a very puzzling fact for me, this is a very puzzling fact as to why a nation the size of India would allow the president of any other nation to give us permission to buy Russian oil, to decide who our relationships are with," the leader of opposition (LoP) said in an apparent reference to the US giving a 30-day waiver to buy oil from Russia.
"This has been a puzzle and I have been trying to figure this puzzle out. I have figured the puzzle out.
"The puzzle is about compromise," he said and referred to Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri.
Gandhi then sought to link the issue of India's energy security with US Department of Justice disclosures. This evoked an uproar from the treasury benches.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked Gandhi to speak on the notice he has given and not deviate to other topics.
With Gandhi repeatedly asserting that what he was saying was connected with energy security, Birla asked Puri to make his statement.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at Gandhi for speaking in the Lok Sabha on "various other issues" instead of concerns over the reported LPG shortage. After Gandhi's speech in the House, Rijiju told reporters that the Congress has not learnt any lesson after the two-day discussion on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Birla.
The minister said Gandhi submitted a letter to the speaker stating that he wanted to discuss the reported LPG shortage. Subsequently, the petroleum minister was asked to prepare a response, he said.
Rijiju alleged that when Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was giving a statement, Gandhi "again sent all his MPs to the well".
Meanwhile, speaking in the Lok Sabha, BJP member Nishikant Dubey claimed that Gandhi held a picnic near Makar Dwar by having tea and coffee with MPs, violating the directives of the speaker.
Earlier, speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi alleged that India's energy security has been compromised due to a "flawed" foreign policy.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government must prepare in advance. If not, crores will suffer in the future, he said amid reports of LPG shortages.
Gandhi alleged that PM Modi is unable to function as the prime minister of India as "he is trapped". But he still needs to make sure that the people of India are protected and "our energy security is managed by us", he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Basically, gas and fuel are going to be a problem because "our energy security has been compromised", Gandhi said.
"A flawed foreign policy has created this problem. Now, what we have to do is to prepare. You have some time, he said.
Gandhi said the government and the prime minister must immediately start the preparations because otherwise crores of people will suffer massive losses.
"It is a bigger issue than Iran allowing oil and not allowing oil. This war is fundamentally about the current world order... We are going into an unstable time. When you are going into an unstable time you have to change your mindset," Gandhi said.
The LoP said he is suggesting to the government that it must start thinking deeply about the possibilities and what India can do to make sure its people are not harmed.
"I am not making any political statement. I am just saying that I can see that a big problem is coming and if this is resolved at the level of Iran then also this problem will not go away because the world is changing, its structure is changing and we have to change our mindset," Gandhi said.
"The prime minister is not able to function as the PM of India. There is a reason for it. He is trapped. Anyway, he still needs to make sure currently that the people of India are protected," he said.
After participating in an opposition protest over reported LPG shortage in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi attacked Modi, saying the PM is asking the people not to panic but is himself panicking for "completely different reasons".
He alleged that Modi is panicking because of the Epstein files issue and the Adani case in the US.
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Correspondents' dinner firing: World leaders say political violence has no place in democracy
Washington (PTI): World leaders expressed relief that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania and other guests were unharmed after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner here on Saturday night and asserted that political violence has no place in a democracy.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was relieved that President Trump, First Lady Melania and Vice President J D Vance were safe and unharmed after a security incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington.
Modi said violence has no place in democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.
"Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi said in a post on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has had frequent run-ins with Trump, described the shooting incident at the Washington Hilton hotel as a “disturbing event”.
“I am relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe following reports of gunfire at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington tonight. Political violence has no place in any democracy, and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” Carney said in a post on X.
President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung asserted that political violence “can never be justified under any circumstances.”
“The Government of the Republic of Korea firmly opposes all forms of violence and extremism that erode the values of democracy and the rule of law,” he said in a social media post.
Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi said, “Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world”
“I am relieved to hear that President Trump is safe following the terrifying gunfire. Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world,” she posted on social media.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “an attack on all the democracies.”
"This wasn't just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies,” he posted on social media.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said it was “good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events”.
“We send them our respect. Violence must never be the way,” she said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to hear all attendees were safe. “We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” he said in a statement.
Delcy Rodriguez, the acting President of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US forces, condemned the attack against Trump.
"We extend our best wishes to them and to all attendees of the Correspondent’s dinner. Violence is never an option for those who uphold the values of peace," she wrote on X.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took to social media to condemn the incident, stating he was "deeply shocked" to hear the news.
"Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe," Sharif said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
