The Centre held an all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, where the government briefed about the situation in West Asia and how India is dealing with its impact.
All Union ministers part of the Cabinet Committee on Security – Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman – represented the government. Health minister J P Nadda and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju were also part of the meeting.
A detailed briefing by foreign secretary Vikram Misri, along with remarks from external affairs minister S Jaishankar and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, highlighted that India’s energy security “remains stable”, with “adequate availability” of crude oil, LPG, and fertilisers.
The government underscored that multiple shipments have already reached India, with more expected in the coming days, backed by the country’s strong refining capacity. It also emphasised proactive diplomatic outreach, noting that New Delhi is in touch with all parties involved and ensuring uninterrupted supply lines, calling it a “diplomatic success.”
Amid concerns triggered by rumours of fuel shortages in parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah urged people not to panic. Addressing reports of long queues at petrol pumps in Jammu, Abdullah said, “My earnest request is that you stop camping outside petrol pumps otherwise, I will shut all the petrol pumps for the next few days.” He termed the situation “regrettable,” noting that while the central government has clarified there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG, people continue to rely on misinformation circulating on social media.
He further stressed that no directive has been issued to limit fuel usage and appealed to citizens to avoid panic buying. “There is a meeting of all CMs with PM Modi tomorrow online, and I will attend that,” Abdullah added, reiterating that the supply situation remains stable.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an interaction with Chief Ministers on Friday evening via video conferencing to review state-level preparedness amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.
However, sources told news agency ANI that CMs of poll-bound states will not be attending the meeting. These include Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu’s MK Stalin, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Puducherry’s N Rangasamy.