The government called an all-party meeting on Wednesday, March 25, to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia, resulting from the war between Iran and the United States. This development comes amid opposition criticism of India’s stance on global tensions and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in Lok Sabha on the issue.
HT learns that the all-party meeting will be held at 5 pm tomorrow at the Parliament Complex.
This comes after a review meeting chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, in which he discussed the conflict with General Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, General Upendra Dwivedi, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) chief Sameer Kamat, among others.
Follow live updates on the war between Iran and the United States here.
Prime Minister Modi’s speech in Lok Sabha angered the opposition
On Monday, Prime Minister Modi addressed the conflict in his speech to Parliament and assured the country that the government is relentlessly trying to reduce its impact. In his first speech to Parliament since the outbreak of war, Prime Minister Modi described attacks on commercial ships and obstruction in the Strait of Hormuz as “unacceptable” and addressed concerns about their impact on fuel, fertilizer and national security.
Prime Minister Modi said India has been in touch with stakeholders in the conflict and expressed deep concern over the developments. “In terms of diplomacy, India’s position has been very clear. From the beginning, we have expressed our deep concern about this conflict. I have spoken to all West Asian leaders and urged everyone to reduce tension and end this conflict. We have opposed attacks on people, transport and energy. Attacks on commercial ships and erecting obstructions in the Strait of Hormuz are unacceptable,” he said.
Read also: ‘Targeting commercial shipping is unacceptable’: India’s message amid Strait of Hormuz blockade and Iran-US war
But his speech was criticized by several opposition leaders, who said Prime Minister Modi failed to condemn the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran that has raised global tensions. According to a PTI report, the Congress termed the Prime Minister’s remarks as “a master class in self-aggrandizement, cowardice and partisan dialogue”.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticized the remarks, saying the Prime Minister had issued a belated response. She criticized the “partisan” handling of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
“If the Prime Minister had addressed the nation in the first week, he could have explained the reasons behind his visit to Israel. He could have explained why, after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, it took us three full days to officially convey our condolences,” Priyanka Chaturvedi told news agency ANI.
Indian-flagged ships and the blockade of Hormuz
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi admitted that the blockade imposed on the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran-US war has made the movement of crude oil, gas and fertilizers very difficult. However, he also said that the government has intensified efforts to ensure adequate supply of LPG. He added: “We are relentlessly trying to minimize the impact on India. The government is working on short-, medium- and long-term strategies. Today, the fundamentals of the Indian economy are strong.”
While the blockade affected the flow of crude oil, many Indian-flagged ships moved through the Strait of Hormuz despite the ongoing war. As HT reported earlier, two LPG tankers from the UAE and a crude oil tanker from Saudi Arabia are heading towards Indian ports.
The MV Jag Vasant is likely to arrive at Kandla port on March 26, and the MV Pine Gas is scheduled to reach New Mangalore on March 28, according to the shipping ministry.
