New Delhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the central government of failing to ensure fuel and fertilizer security, and sarcastically remarked that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should heed the statement of senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi that the term ‘world teacher’ should no longer be used.
Senior BJP leader Joshi, while advocating for the widespread promotion of Sanskrit and its use in ‘quantum computing’, had said on Monday that India is no longer a world teacher and that term should not be used. Kharge posted on ‘X’, “‘The Modi government tried to divert attention from its failures and the serious allegations of the Epstein file through delimitation, but India understood everything. The BJP government has failed to ensure fuel and fertilizer security for the nation. Production has decreased, import diversification has failed, our ships are unable to safely navigate through the Strait of Hormuz. Fourteen ships flying the Indian flag have been stranded there for 54 days.'”
Questions on LPG connections and fertilizer production
Kharge claimed that India’s crude oil production has been declining for the 11th consecutive year in 2025-26, attributing this to the Modi government. According to him, total crude oil production has fallen by about 22 percent since 2014-15. Kharge said, “‘Gas production has seen an even more alarming decline of about 40 percent, dropping from 47,555 MMSCM (million standard cubic meters) in 2011-12 to just 28,672 MMSCM in 2020-21.'”
Kharge claimed that the Modi government has now stopped issuing new LPG connections. He stated that fertilizer production hit a 5-year low in March 2026. He said, “‘China had already banned special fertilizers in July 2025, but the Modi government did not bother to diversify imports. Russia has also now halted fertilizer exports.'” The Congress President added, “‘Perhaps Prime Minister Modi should listen to his own mentor, Murli Manohar Joshi, who recently said that we should no longer use the term ‘world teacher’.'”
