NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for comparing the current fuel crisis sitution to that of Covid-19 in his Parliamentary address on Monday. The Congress leader remarked that the PM has “forgotten what had happened then, how many people had died and what kind of tragedies had unfolded”.“Yesterday he made an irrelevant speech. He is the prime minister of India, he must appear to be as the PM of India, he has no position. It is sad that this would bring harm to people. It is the beginning — LPG, petrol, fertilizer, all these would pose a problem. Modi ji said Covid-like time is coming. He has forgotten what had happened then, how many people had died and what kind of tragedies had unfolded,” Rahul said on Tuesday.PM Modi had said the challenging global situation arising from the West Asia conflict is likely to endure, urging the nation to stay prepared and united, much like it did during the Covid pandemic.“This war has created difficult global conditions that may persist for a long time. Hence, we must remain prepared and united. We faced similar challenges during the Covid crisis with unity. Now again, we must prepare in the same way. With patience, restraint, and calmness, we must face every challenge-that is our identity, that is our strengt,” he had said.“At the same time, we must remain vigilant and cautious. Those who try to exploit the situation will attempt to spread falsehoods, but we must not let them succeed,” he added.Rahul also criticised PM Modi over his handling of the West Asia conflict, alleging that India has been sidelined in global negotiations and calling the prime minister “compromised” and questioned the PM’s autonomy on global stage.“Our foreign policy is Prime Minister Modi’s personal foreign policy. You can see the result of this. It’s a universal joke. Everybody considers it a universal joke. Donald Trump knows exactly what Mr Modi can do and what Mr Modi cannot do. So if the Prime Minister is compromised, our foreign policy is compromised. It’s obvious; everyone can see it. They did a US deal,” he said.Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha also criticised the Covid reference saying the “nation cannot forget the tragic suffering during the pandemic”.“It has now been 25 days since the conflict began, and India is facing a deepening energy crisis, one for which the government should have been far better prepared. The Prime Minister has now likened the situation to being ‘Covid-like.’ The nation cannot forget the tragic suffering during the pandemic, when over 40 lakh lives were lost and countless citizens were left struggling for basic necessities like oxygen,” he said.He termed the PM’s Rajya Sabha speech “an exercise in obfuscation”.“The 20-minute statement by Prime Minister Modi in the Rajya Sabha was, at best, an exercise in obfuscation. We seek clear answers to three fundamental questions: First, through his inconsistent and swinging diplomatic posture, the Prime Minister appears to have altered the balance of India’s strategic autonomy; long a cornerstone of our foreign policy across successive governments. Following his recent visit to Israel, India has faced visible diplomatic consequences. Why did the Prime Minister fail to take Parliament and the nation into confidence about this apparent shift, and what concrete steps have been taken to restore India’s strategic autonomy?” he said in a post on X.He criticised the government for failing to secure safe passage for Indian ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz despite high-level diplomatic efforts.“Second, nearly 37–40 Indian-flagged ships, carrying around 1,100 sailors, remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, with cargo valued at approximately Rs 10,000 crore. Despite the Prime Minister personally speaking to the Iranian President twice, and the External Affairs Minister engaging multiple times with his Iranian counterpart, why has India failed to secure safe passage for its own vessels? Why are countries like China Russia, Japan, along with other ‘friendly nations,’ being granted safe transit, while Indian ships remain stuck?” he said.He further questioned the PM’s claims that India had diversified its energy imports from 27 to 41 countries.“If so, which countries are currently supplying LNG, LPG, and crude oil to India, and in what quantities? More importantly, if diversification has been achieved, why are citizens still facing shortages, long queues, black marketing, and sharp price rises across the country?” he said.