The central government has convened an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis at 5 pm on Wednesday, amid concerns over the conflict’s impact on India’s energy security, trade routes, and overall preparedness. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to chair the meeting, whereas External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is likely to attend. The move comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Parliament about the situation.
Rahul Gandhi won’t attend the meeting
The opposition has slammed the prime minister’s statement. According to PTI, the Congress called his statement a “prepared text full of self-praise”. Rahul Gandhi has also stated that he would not be able to participate in the all-party meeting, as he is scheduled to be in Kerala.
Fuel, fertilisers and supply chains on agenda
In his statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, PM Modi said the government had formed seven empowered groups to work on strategies related to fuel, fertilisers and supply chains, among other issues, to lessen the impact of the Iran-Israel-US conflict. He said the war had created a serious global energy crisis and warned against black marketing and hoarding, asking state governments to stay alert.
“The situation in West Asia is worrisome. This conflict has been going on for more than three weeks. It has a severe impact on the global economy and the lives of people,” PM Modi said. He also added that the government was trying to procure gas and crude oil from all available sources and had made essential preparations to ensure adequate fertiliser supplies.
Trump-Modi call on the West Asia conflict
The diplomatic backdrop to the all-party meeting also includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone conversation with US President Donald Trump. As per the official statement, the two leaders discussed the West Asia conflict and highlighted the importance of stability in the region. PM Modi also stressed that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward. In the Parliament too, the prime minister said, “The situation in West Asia is worrisome,” and added that the world was urging all sides to find an early solution to the conflict.
LPG supply concerns
LPG availability is also likely to figure separately in the discussion, given the disruption to supplies caused by the conflict in West Asia. Government briefings have said that ensuring uninterrupted LPG supply, especially for households and priority sectors like educational institutions and hospitals, remains the top priority.
Conflict fallout and India’s concerns
The ongoing conflict in West Asia has entered its fourth week and disrupted trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. PM Modi stated a large part of India’s crude oil and gas requirements is met by the war-affected region, which is also essential for India’s trade with other countries. In the Lok Sabha earlier, he said that the difficult global conditions caused by the conflict could prevail for a long time and called for the country to remain prepared and united.