congress member of congress Shashi Tharoor Slammed foreign minister on Monday Sujashankar On his parliamentary statement on the ongoing conflict in West Asia, he said it would be unfair to MPs to read out the statement without allowing discussion.Tharoor told reporters outside Parliament that the issue was serious and should be debated in the House.“The problem facing the party is that this is a serious issue and should be discussed in the House. The purpose of Parliament is to take up issues of importance to India and have a serious discussion. Just reading a statement, there is no doubt that our views are not fair to the members of the House. Therefore, the party is agitating for a discussion so that we can raise issues regarding energy security, high oil prices and increase in LPG prices by the government,” he said.Parliament should be a forum for raising broader concerns related to international law and India’s interests, he added.“There are bigger issues with international law. Whatever those issues are, parliament is the right forum to express them. We’re not saying we are the government. They are the government and they will do what they want to do, but at least use parliament to hear the views of all sections of the country.”Congress MP KC Venugopal also supported the demand for discussion, saying the situation in West Asia was not a partisan issue and the government should have confidence in the opposition.Jaishankar’s remarks came after he addressed both houses of Parliament and said Prime Minister Modi was closely following the evolution of the situation in West Asia.“The Prime Minister continues to monitor emerging developments closely and relevant ministries are coordinating to ensure an effective response,” the EAM said.“This ongoing conflict is particularly worrying for India. We are neighboring regions and we obviously have a stake in maintaining stability in West Asia. Ten million Indians live and work in the Gulf countries. In Iran, there are also thousands of Indians studying or employed. The region is key to our energy security and is home to many important oil and gas suppliers. Severe supply chain disruptions and an unstable atmosphere are serious concerns,” he added.Jaishankar also said the government has issued formal warnings to Indian nationals in Iran and is in communication with Indians in the Gulf region.Referring to concerns over energy security due to disruption of the Strait of Hormuz trade route, he said the government is monitoring the energy market while prioritizing the interests of Indian consumers.“Given the impact of this conflict on our energy security, the government remains committed to ensuring that availability, costs and risks in energy markets are taken into account. For us, the interests of Indian consumers are and will always be the overriding priority,” he said.

