New Delhi:
Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily today stunned with the declaration that petroleum ministers are "threatened" by import lobbies not to take decisions that will reduce India's USD 160 billion oil imports. However, he did not name anyone.
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"They don't want us to stop imports. There are some lobbies who are working on that. Every minister is threatened many a times. Every minister who occupies this position is threatened," he told reporters in Delhi.
Mr Moily has been under attack from the CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta for suggesting a hike in natural gas prices by 60%.
The Left leader has said this will amount to "loot" and is designed to benefit Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), which is controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
In response to Mr Moily's claim of being threatened, Mr Dasgupta said, "Mr Moily is a liar. If they are pressurising the government, let the government take action against them or if some invisible forces are pressurising them, then let him ask the CBI to inquire and arrest them and put them on trial. They are telling lies to give Reliance more money."
The minister says he is trying to attract investments in oil and gas exploration which will allow India to be less dependent on imports.
"I am telling you with all sense of responsibility (that) we are floating in oil and gas in this country. And we don't explore it. We put every obstruction not to do it. There is bureaucratic obstructions and delays," Mr Moily said.
Mr Moily also said that increasing natural gas prices will help boost foreign investor sentiment. "We have to give the right price, otherwise nobody will come. One well (in the ultra deepsea) may sometime cost millions of dollars," he said.
Last month, Mr Moily described as "malicious" the allegation that he is trying to illicitly help RIL. In a press release, he said, "More than 60 per cent of the natural gas in India is still produced by the public sector companies. Therefore, the allegation that the price is being revised for the benefit of the private sector is completely misconceived."
The Oil Ministry is finalising its proposal for new prices effective April 2014. The proposal is likely to be submitted to the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs in the next few days.
RIL has been seeking an increase in gas prices to justify higher expenditure and improve the gas output at the conglomerate's KG-D6 block on the Andhra coast.
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