Abki baar, ‘sources’ sarkar

In the 2024 general elections, Indians voted to elect a National Democratic Alliance government. But despite a democratic mandate for a Narendra Modi-led administration, it seems the government that actually took power was controlled by a rather mysterious entity – sources.

When a gas crisis hit India as a result of the joint United States and Israeli attack on Iran, it was not Modi or one of his ministers who kept Indians informed about the situation. Instead, ANI, a news wire seen to be close to the administration, ran updates on gas and petroleum stocks quoting unidentified sources in the government.

On March 3, three days after the war began, ANI quoted “government sources” to say that India was “scouting for alternative sources for importing crude oil, LPG and LNG”. Three days later, “government sources” told ANI that India was “in a comfortable position in crude oil, oil products and LPG”.

Ten days later, it’s now clear that the “government sources” were not telling the entire truth. Liquified petroleum gas shortages are widespread across India right now.

It was nearly a fortnight after the war began and panic started to spread throughout the country that India’s elected ministers at last started to speak on the record. On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi and Petroleum and...

Read more