Kharge Calls for Urgent Discussion on India's Energy Security Amid West Asia Conflict

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urges Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan for an immediate discussion on India's energy security due to the Israel-Iran conflict's effects. Highlighting LPG price hikes and India's dependency on West Asian oil, Kharge emphasizes the conflict's impact on national economics and Indian workers abroad.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has pressed Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to consider an immediate discussion on India's energy security amidst the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Kharge emphasized that the geopolitical unrest in West Asia significantly affects India's economy and energy stability.

He highlighted recent hikes in domestic and commercial LPG prices as evidence of the conflict's impact on India's poor and reiterated the nation's dependency on West Asian oil imports. About 55% of India's crude oil needs are sourced from the region, making the issue nationally significant.

Kharge also noted the safety concerns of sobre 1 crore Indians in the region and the economic impact highlighted by USD 51 billion remittances from Gulf countries. Following External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's statement, opposition parties, including Congress, protested for the requested discussion.

(With inputs from agencies.)