"Why is govt avoiding an all-party meeting?": Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on West Asia conflict

Commenting on the review meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, the Congress MP appreciated the policies formed by the governemnt but questioned the implementation.

He flagged concerns regarding the "unpreparedness" of the government for crude oil requirements, pointing out the heavy dependence on West Asia. Calling the conflict a "problem for the whole country," he accused the Centre of always being in the election mood.

"I understand that the CCS meeting was held yesterday. If the government knew that the war would go on for a long time, then, given our dependence on West Asia, we should have talked to Africa, Russia, or Latin America to import oil from them instead... While you (government) have made a good policy, how is the implementation going?" the Congress MP told ANI.

"The government always seems to be in 'election mood'... This is a fact. They should make the public aware of the actual situation... This isn't just a problem for one party; it is a problem for the whole country... Why is the government avoiding an all-party meeting? They should rise above political tensions and speak with everyone in an all-party forum," he added.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet Secretary gave a detailed presentation on the global situation and the mitigating measures taken so far and being planned regarding the conflict by all concerned Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

The expected impact and measures taken to address it across sectors like agriculture, fertilisers, food security, petroleum, power, MSMEs, exporters, shipping, trade, finance, supply chains and all affected sectors were discussed. The overall macro-economic scenario in the country and further measures to be taken were also discussed.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia will have significant short, medium and long term impact on the global economy and its effect on India was assessed, and counter-measures, both immediate and long-term, were discussed.

A detailed assessment of availability for critical needs of the common man, including food, energy and fuel security, was made. Short term, medium-term and long-term measures to ensure the continued availability of essential needs were discussed in detail.

The impact on farmers and their requirement for fertiliser for the Kharif season was assessed. The measures taken in the last few years to maintain adequate stocks of fertilisers will ensure timely availability and food security. Alternate sources of fertilisers were also discussed to ensure continued availability in the future.

It was also determined that an adequate supply of coal stocks at all power plants will ensure no shortage of electricity in India.

Several measures were discussed to diversify sources of imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors. Similarly, new export destinations to promote Indian goods will be developed in the near future.

PM said that the conflict is an evolving situation and the entire world is affected in some form. In such a situation, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict. PM instructed that all arms of government should work together to ensure the least inconvenience to the citizens.

PM Modi also asked for proper coordination with state governments to ensure no black-marketing and hoarding of important commodities. (ANI)