Government sparing no effort to minimise war fallout on citizens, opposition spreading fear, says PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Amid concerns over the impact of Iran war on India's energy supply, PM Narendra Modi said on Thursday his govt is sparing no effort to minimise its fallout on citizens and accused opposition parties of fear-mongering to push their agenda at the of cost national interest.He said no country is untouched by this global crisis and India is trying at different levels to deal with it, including making efforts to get around the supply chain disruption. He has spoken to global leaders, he said at NXT summit.On a day leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, targeted govt over the "LPG crisis" in the House, Modi hit back without naming anyone and said everyone, including political parties, have a role in ensuring that the country successfully handles the crisis.

"Some people are trying to spread panic. They want to push their agenda. I do not want to give any political reaction now but will say that they are exposing themselves before people and inflicting a great harm on the country," he said. India will definitely be able to deal with the challenges arising out of the war, he emphasised.He listed out a host of measures his govt has taken since 2014 to build India's alternative energy sources, reduce its dependence on oil, multiply its petroleum storage capacity, while ensuring more and more people benefit from them.

India used to have negligible storage capacity to deal with any crisis but it now stands at 50 lakh tonne, while it has become one of the biggest refining hubs in the world. People's aspirations have risen and his govt welcomes them, he added before turning to his critics."Many of my 'well-wishers' are nursing the hope that I will be crushed under the burden of expectations... their intentions are dishonest, and their hopes will never be fulfilled," he said, adding he has people's blessings.

He asked states to take stringent action against rumour-mongers and black-marketers.India will come out of the crisis successfully as it did during Covid, he said, describing the current era as a period like never before.He compared the rise of Indian economy to people's abiding interest in cricket, saying they are now keen to know all the time about the latest details. "If you want to be part of the future, you have to be in India," he said. "Despite numerous global challenges, the world looks at India with great hope," he said.