India not ‘dalal’ like Pakistan, Modi told Trump we wish for a quick end to war—govt to all-party meet

New Delhi: At an all-party meeting on the West Asia conflict, the Centre told the Opposition that India is not a ‘dalal’ (broker) nation like Pakistan, and that PM Narendra Modi conveyed to US President Donald Trump the country’s “desire” for a swift end to the war as it is hurting everybody, ThePrint has learnt.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the Wednesday meeting, which was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S.Jaishankar, and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri among others.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas said the Opposition expressed its concerns regarding the Iran war. “There were many issues like the government’s silence on the attack on Iran and the government’s silence on the death of the Supreme Leader of Iran and various other concerns including the shortage of LPG and how this war is impacting different regions of India,” he said.

“The government presented its side that there was no silence; they were talking. The government has given assurance that there will be no shortage of LPG, CNG, crude oil in the country. They also said that our wish is that the war ends quickly because the war is affecting everybody.”

“When I persistently asked, they said that in a conversation between Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump, our PM conveyed our desire that the war end fast because the war, as said by the EAM, hurts everybody. In any case, the general consensus amongst the Opposition is that India should have taken a forthright position with regard to the war that was waged against an independent, sovereign country,” Brittas told ThePrint, referring to Jaishankar when he was asked about what transpired between Modi and Trump

Four weeks after the Iran war started, Trump had dialled PM Modi on Tuesday and discussed the emerging situation in West Asia. Modi told Trump that India supports de-escalation and the restoration of peace at the earliest.

According to sources, the Opposition took up the reported role that Pakistan is playing as a mediator in the Iran conflict. “A nation which was completely isolated after 26/11 and a nation known to be the biggest exporter of terror in our neighbourhood (it’s playing such a role)…How does it impact us? Is it not a setback to our diplomacy? Such questions were raised,” said a senior leader who was part of the meeting.

To this, the sources said, the External Affairs Minister reportedly said: “We will not interfere (the way Pakistan is meddling in internal affairs of a country). We aren’t like Pakistan, we aren’t a ‘dalal’.”

Jaishankar, according to the above-mentioned leader, asserted that Pakistan’s involvement should not be seen as unprecedented.

The minister, another source said, pointed out that not much should be read in Pakistan’s mediation efforts as it has been “used” by the US since 1981.

“See he did not give a pointed reply but it was a long sort of historical narration wherein he talked about how since 1981, Pakistan has been involved in such activities for several decades and how it is in Pakistan’s DNA. Pakistan, he pointed out, tries to get involved in such affairs to strengthen its position, something which we don’t do. We don’t interfere in other countries’ matters,” the source.

The Congress termed the meeting unsatisfactory, with party leader Tariq Anwar stating that the Opposition’s primary demand remains a debate in Parliament. Coming down heavily on the Modi government, Anwar further said that while Pakistan is performing a mediator’s role, India remains a mute spectator.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said when questions were asked why Pakistan is playing such a central role and why the Prime Minister went on a trip two days before the war, “the government responded in its own way”.

Meanwhile, several Opposition leaders sought to know the government’s contingency measures on how it plans to bring down import dependency for energy needs.

India is heavily dependent on foreign imports for its energy needs, with the ongoing conflict affecting the country as much of its supplies passes from the Strait of Hormuz.

“Many questions were asked as to how do we increase our capacity, what is the road map for that. Questions were also raised about strategic petroleum reserves and to what extent does the government believe this is the comfortable stock because even the PM had said we have adequate stock—so adequate means for how many days? Finally, the two ministers responded,” said another leader, referring to Puri and Jaishankar.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri reportedly told the leaders that domestic production meets about 60 percent of India’s LPG demand, while imports and supply planning manage the rest.

Further, a presentation was given on the West Asia crisis and the government informed that more India-bound ships are expected to pass through the Strait of Hormuz soon and there was no crisis.

“We were told that four have started, two have already reached and two others are expected soon while 18 others are in line so there is no need for panic,” said a third Opposition leader.

Apart from pointing out that the safety and security of Indians remains its topmost priority, the government assured the political parties that the country’s energy security remains intact and more fuel shipments are on the way.

The government, the sources said, assured the parties that there is no need to panic regarding India’s fuel situation, stressing that adequate supplies of petroleum products and LPG are being maintained despite volatility in the region.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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Also read: Modi govt failed to promote crude oil Atmanirbharata. Don’t let Iran war be a lost opportunity

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