New Delhi [India], March 12 : Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday criticised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying he ignored special permission to speak on the LPG shortage and instead raised another issue.
Rijiju also accused him of creating a ruckus in the House, disrupting proceedings while Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri was giving a statement.
During a press conference, Rijiju said, "Special permission was granted to Mr Rahul Gandhi. As soon as he was allowed to speak, he didn't speak on LPG, but instead began speaking on global issues...He did not speak on the subject."
"When Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri was giving a statement, Rahul Gandhi again sent all his MPs to the well. They again tore the paper and threw it away and created a ruckus and the House had to be adjourned," he said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi warned that the ongoing conflict in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could have serious consequences for India's energy security, saying that "the pain has just started."
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran is likely to have far-reaching global and domestic repercussions.
"A war has broken out in the Middle East. The United States, Israel and Iran are at war. This war is going to have far-reaching consequences. The central artery from where 20% of the global oil flows, the Strait of Hormuz, has been closed. This is going to have tremendous repercussions, particularly for us, because a very large portion of our oil and natural gas comes through the Strait of Hormuz. The pain has just started. Restaurants are closing. There's widespread panic about LPG...This is only the beginning," Gandhi said.
Gandhi further stressed that energy security forms the foundation of any nation's stability. He criticised the idea of allowing external powers to influence India's decisions regarding its energy partnerships.
"The foundation of every single nation is its energy security. Allowing the United States to decide who we buy oil from, who we buy gas from, and whether we can buy oil from Russia or not...Our relationship with different oil suppliers can be decided by us. This is what has been bartered...Why a nation the size of India would allow any other nation, the President of another nation to give us permission to buy Russian oil, to decide who our relationships are with?" Gandhi said.
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