Lok Sabha: Hardeep Puri Responds To Opposition, Says India's Fuel Supply Chain Working Smoothly

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday raised the issue of the oil and LPG crisis caused by the Iran-US war. He said that this is just the beginning and will have very bad consequences. Rahul Gandhi also mentioned the Jeffrey Epstein files, which caused an uproar in the Lower House of Parliament.

What did Rahul Gandhi say?

Rahul Gandhi said, "War has broken out in the Middle East. America, Israel, and Iran are at war. This war will have very serious consequences. The Strait of Hormuz, the central route through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows, has been closed. This will have a very bad impact, especially on us, because a large part of our oil and natural gas comes through the Strait of Hormuz. The pain has just begun. Restaurants are closing." There's a lot of panic about LPG...this is just the beginning."

Referring to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Rahul Gandhi said, "I've solved the puzzle, and it's about the agreement. We have a gentleman sitting here who is the Petroleum Minister. He himself has said that he's a friend of Mr. Epstein." As Rahul Gandhi said this, Parliament erupted in uproar. Speaker Om Birla interrupted Rahul and said, "No. Speak on the notice you've given. You're the leader of the opposition, speak on that. Anything else will not be allowed." Rahul continued, "The foundation of every country is its energy security. Let America decide from whom we buy oil, from whom we buy gas, and whether we can buy oil from Russia or not... We can decide our relationships with individual oil suppliers. This is what has been exchanged... A country as big as India." Why should we allow another country, another country's president, to decide whether we should buy Russian oil or who we have relations with?"

How did Hardeep Puri respond?

Puri responded to Rahul Gandhi's allegations, amid slogans referring to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Hardeep Puri responded that the panic in the country has led to increased demand. "There's no shortage of oil and gas, and India is prepared for the long term," he claimed. 

While he was responding, opposition MPs created a ruckus and chanted Epstein slogans. In his statement, Hardeep Puri said, "The world has never seen such a time in modern energy history. India's crude supply situation is secure, and the volume received exceeds the volume received from the Strait of Hormuz. Before the crisis, approximately 45 percent of India's crude imports were routed through the Strait of Hormuz. Thanks to the Prime Minister's excellent diplomatic outreach and goodwill, India has secured the same amount of crude oil that could have been obtained through the Strait of Hormuz in the same timeframe."

Puri added, "Non-Hormuz sourcing has increased to nearly 70 percent of crude imports, up from 55 percent before the conflict began. India's sources have grown from 27 countries in 2006 and 2007 to 40 countries. This structural diversification, fostered by consistent policy over the years, has given us options that other countries lack. Refineries are operating at high capacity utilization. In many cases, they are exceeding 100 percent utilization. There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF, or fuel oil. Availability of petrol, diesel, aviation, turbine fuel, kerosene, and fuel oil is completely assured. Retail outlets across the country are fully stocked." and the supply chain for these products is operating normally."