Lucknow, April 13 -- The prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and petrol increased sharply in other countries due to the West Asia crisis, but not in India, defence minister Rajnath Singh said here on Sunday. He was speaking at an interactive session 'Varishth Jan Samvad' at Seth M.R. Jaipuria School in Gomti Nagar. "India's prestige in the international arena has increased today. A very big change has come. The cooperation of the people of the country, the Prime Minister's activeness, and his decisions matter," Singh said, addressing the gathering. "There is a West Asia crisis going on. On one side, (there is) US-Israel, on the other side Iran. But India has played the biggest role with wisdom," he said. "Some people tried to spread misinformation by putting up hoardings. Prices have risen in other countries, but are still stable in India," Singh said. "There is talk of a compromise on the war, but the crisis is big. It is difficult to say how long it will last. Today, if ships carrying oil are able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, they are India's. We have good relations with America and also with Iran," Singh said. Commenting on the state capital's development, he said, "Lucknow is better today than before. When I go to other countries of the world, people talk to me about this change." Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said: "Despite having a big responsibility in the country, the defence minister meets senior citizens in Lucknow and takes their blessings." "Yesterday, in a programme in Gomti Nagar, he met an elderly person and enquired about his well-being," Pathak said. "Gomti Nagar is Lucknow's best area. Every person wishes to live here after retirement. Rajnathji has given a home-like atmosphere here. Education, living arrangements, food, and the culture of people here - everything is splendid," Pathak added. Rakesh Jaitley praised the open gyms installed in Lucknow's parks while Arvind Shukla thanked the defence minister for multi-dimensional development taking place in Lucknow. Seema Dubey, Madan Shukla and Rajesh Verma interacted with defence minister and expressed gratitude for international-level Gomti Nagar railway station, flyovers, multi-dimensional development, and projects. Prominent among those present were corporators and office bearers of West Mandal. Lucknow BJP president Anand Dwivedi, mayor Sushma Kharkwal, MLAs OP Srivastava, MLCs Mukesh Sharma and Ram Chandra Pradhan, general secretary Ghanshyam Das Agrawal, and vice president Vinayak Pandey welcomed the Lucknow MP. htc...