India weathered West Asian crisis through strategic decision-making, diplomacy: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of various development projects at Pachpadra in Balotra on July 4, 2026. Photo credit: ANI

India has successfully managed the challenges posed by conflict in West Asia through effective assessment and strategic, timely decision-making, effective use of its domestic resources and strong diplomatic ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday (July 4, 2026). The country avoided fuel rationing, secured cooking gas supplies and protected consumers and farmers from global price spikes, with losses borne by state-owned oil firms, he said.

PM Modi added that certain politically motivated entities involved in spreading rumors during the crisis have failed and “may dwell in the abyss of disappointment”.

Inaugurating the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) in Balotra district, PM Modi said, “India has taken effective decisions, made sound assessments, developed effective strategies, used its domestic resources effectively and used its diplomatic power constructively to successfully meet the challenges,” he said.

Expansion of refining capacity

PM Modi also praised domestic refineries for helping the country overcome the crisis by increasing production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The country will continue to expand its refining capacity, he said.

“India has steadily increased its refining capacity and has become the fourth largest refiner in the world,” he said. “However, we will not stop here and will continue to increase capacity in the coming years,” he added.

‘Protected from price increases’

The Prime Minister insisted that there had been no major disruption to supplies during the crisis, even in remote areas, except for certain minor disruptions. He pointed out that India, unlike some other countries, had not taken any rationing measures for petrol and diesel.

On cooking gas, PM Modi told the rally that prices of domestic LPG — which could go up to ₹ 2,000 per cylinder — have been protected and capped at less than ₹ 950 per cylinder and ₹ 650 per cylinder for Ujjwala recipients.

India also continued to provide urea at ₹300 per bag, although the price of the fertilizer could have been ₹3,000 per bag if it followed the global price spike following the Russo-Ukraine conflict.

While customers were thus protected, state-owned oil marketing companies absorbed losses of about ₹ 75,000 crore in the latest quarter ended June, the Prime Minister said. “This is equivalent to the cost of building one refinery,” he noted.

“Congress Delays Refinery Completion”

Prime Minister Modi blamed the previous Congress government in Rajasthan for delaying the completion of the Balotra refinery and claimed that the party did not extend the necessary cooperation.

“We signed the MoU for the refinery in 2017. But from 2018 to 2023, Rajasthan had a Congress government. Due to their lack of cooperation, work almost came to a standstill here,” he said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s return to power in the state in 2023 helped revive the project.

The greenfield integrated refinery-petrochemical complex in Rajasthan’s Balotra district has a refining capacity of 9 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) and a petrochemical capacity of 2.4 MMTPA. It was built at a cost of ₹79,459 crore, with state-owned oil company Hindustan Petroleum holding a 74% equity stake, while the rest is held by the Rajasthan government.

The refinery was originally scheduled to be inaugurated on April 22, but was delayed due to a fire that broke out in its distillation unit a day earlier.

Published – 04 Jul 2026 18:04 IST