Congress blames mismanagement, corruption in ONGC and GSPC; looking for the Prime Minister’s answer to the decline in fuel production

Image is for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Congress on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) accused the Narendra Modi government of corruption and mismanagement at state-run energy companies Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), saying political failures have weakened domestic oil and gas production and increased the country’s dependence on expensive fuel imports.

At a press conference in New Delhi, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil said that India has suffered an annual loss of 3.695 million metric tonnes in petrol, diesel and gas production since 2014.

Demanding accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Gohil sought an explanation for the decline in domestic fuel production, alleged irregularities at GSPC and what he described as “false promises” about hydrocarbon reserves in the KG basin.

Highlighting ONGC’s role in the energy sector, Mr. Gohil said the company, founded in 1956, contributes nearly 70% of India’s domestic oil and gas production, with 59% of production coming from the offshore Mumbai High, Neelam and Heera fields.

He claimed that the government had sharply curtailed water injection operations – a process used to maintain reservoir pressure and increase oil production – in these fields. According to him, water injection has reduced by 53% in Mumbai High, 42% in Neelam and 78% in Heera during the tenure of the current government.

Mr. Gohil further alleged that the failure to overhaul the water injection systems in time along with the use of raw river water without proper filtration and chemical treatment led to the growth of salt bacteria in the wells, which adversely affected production.

He also accused the government of neglecting the maintenance of pipelines, claiming that “pigging” operations – designed to remove corrosion and dirt from pipelines – were carried out well below the required level. At Mumbai High, he said, only 83 piggings were done in 2014-15 against a planned 326.

Referring to Mr. Modi’s statement as Chief Minister of Gujarat on June 6, 2005, Mr. Gohil said that claims of discovery of 20 trillion cubic feet of oil and natural gas in the KG Basin had not materialized.

He alleged that GSPC, once a profitable company, had gone into debt in excess of ₹19,000 crore after investments in KG Basin blocks and ventures in Yemen, Indonesia and Australia failed to yield returns.

Mr. Gohil further argued that while the government was promoting the ‘Make in India’ initiative, it was simultaneously weakening domestic energy production and exposing the country to expensive imports amid a weakening rupee.

Referring to a recent visit to Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, he also cited irregularities in the supply of diesel at petrol pumps and claimed that truck drivers and farmers were facing constraints in purchasing fuel.

In a political attack, Mr Gohil accused the Prime Minister of exhorting citizens to conserve fuel while holding large political rallies and frequent foreign visits.

Published – 19 May 2026 23:02 IST