NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the energy situation and its broader policy approach during the all-party meeting convened by the Centre to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Speaking to TNIE, Congress MP Tariq Anwar, who attended the meeting, said the government had failed to address the Opposition’s demand for a detailed discussion on the West Asia crisis in both Houses of Parliament.
"For the first time, they called the Opposition parties and briefed over their position. But we wanted a full discussion in both Houses of Parliament,” Anwar said.
The Congress MP added that the party had already conveyed the demand to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla but had not yet received any response.
Anwar said he also raised concerns about Pakistan’s reported mediation efforts in the US–Iran conflict and questioned why India had not taken a more active role in the West Asia crisis.
"The Opposition parties also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel shortly before the outbreak of the conflict", he said.
While the government has maintained that India’s energy situation remains stable, Anwar said the Opposition was not 'convinced'.
“The government said they are in talks with other countries, but there is only one key route—the Strait of Hormuz. If we could not take Iran into confidence, how would other countries be able to use that route?” he asked.
He further said that the Opposition leaders expressed concern over what they described as India’s failure to engage effectively with Iran and the delay in condemning the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response to these concerns, the government noted that India had registered its condolences, adding that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi to sign a condolence book for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.