Fuel crisis is man-made, Opposition says, targeting Centre’s foreign policy

Questioning the allocation of ₹57,381 crore for the Economic Stabilisation Fund, proposed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Appropriation Bill to address possible supply chain difficulties due to the conflict in West Asia, the Opposition said the crisis was “man-made”. Participating in the discussion on the Bill, senior Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said that, since Independence, India had been committed to remaining non-aligned.

The Strait of Hormuz is important to the interests of the country, Mr. Gohil said, adding that India’s relationship with Iran had been “very good” for the past many centuries. “There was no need to visit Israel,” Mr. Gohil said, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to that country.

“Foreign policy should be in the interest of the country. Failure in maintaining good relations [with other countries] is the reason for such a huge demand [for an Economic Stabilisation Fund] now,” he said, adding that the Opposition was concerned with regard to the issue of cooking gas. “People are in long lines waiting for LPG,” Mr. Gohil said.

Import of fertilizers was increasing, he said. “We need to increase domestic production. Instead of urea, the government is compelling farmers to buy and use nano urea. It’s an atrocity [committed] on farmers,” he said.

Posts in the Indian Army and other forces must be filled at the earliest, the Congress leader also said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Arun Singh contested him and claimed that leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) were hoarding gas cylinders to create panic in among the public. Iran had assured safe passage for Indian ships, and ships with petroleum products had started reaching the Indian coast, Mr. Singh said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP John Brittas questioned the government’s silence on the war against Iran. It was impacting India’s economy, Mr. Brittas said. “What would be the impact of this crisis on the economy? Is the Finance Minister, who is moving this Appropriation Bill, aware of that?” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh, supporting Mr. Gohil’s stand that the current crisis was “self-imposed”, said the government knew that 60% of the crude oil and 50% of gas supply to the country passed through the Strait of Hormuz. “When over 60% of the strait comes under the control of Iran, then what was the need to have an adverse relationship with Iran?” Mr. Singh said.

If the conflict continued and trade routes were disrupted, exports would decline, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader P. Sandosh Kumar said. “This will directly affect farmers, small producers, and workers, leading to unemployment, particularly in the rural economy,” Mr. Kumar said.