India’s loss of Myanmar gas to China has triggered a spat between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Petroleum Ministry.

Following Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon’s observation that the Petroleum Ministry did not make “concerted efforts” to secure the gas, Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan has written to Menon, alleging he (Menon) was unaware of the developments and out-of-sync with his deputies.

At a meeting presided by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister on June 20, Menon ticked off Srinivasan for inadequate efforts to secure gas from Blocks A-1 and A-3. He said that Myanmar was “still open” to gas export to India and “if sincere efforts are made in this direction, it might still be possible to source gas from A-1 and A-3 Blocks for India”.

Srinivasan, after contacting Menon’s officers in Yangon and the Ministry of External Affairs, has replied to the Foreign Secretary, saying that his views were entirely misplaced.

“I feel that your observations at the meeting were not correct and did not convey the appropriate position about the consistent efforts made by the ministry to import gas from Myanmar, and the position of the Myanmar government in this regard,” says Srinivasan in his letter to Menon.

To back his charge, Srinivasan has cited the views of India’s Ambassador in Myanmar, who was contacted “immediately after the meeting” as well as those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (BSM) Division working under Menon.

The Ambassador “indicated that Myanmar has already decided to sell the gas to China and that no purpose would be served by sending an Indian delegation at this juncture,” wrote Srinvasan.

... contd.