Hyderabad- Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the conflict in West Asia, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP here, he suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), utilising railway services for parcel movement, and working from home to conserve foreign exchange amid the crisis in West Asia.
Stressing the need to save foreign exchange due to the crisis, Modi called for postponing the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year.
“We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” he said, adding that due to the West Asia conflict, prices of petrol and fertilisers had increased significantly.
When there is pressure on the supply chain, difficulties increase despite various government measures to address the situation, he said. “That’s why, during a global crisis, keeping the country above all else, we have to take resolutions,” he added.
“We got into work-from-home, virtual meetings, video conferencing, and many other methods during Covid-19. We got habituated to them. The need of the hour is to resume those methods,” Modi said.
He called for reducing the consumption of edible oil, lowering the use of chemical fertilisers, promoting natural farming and Swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and make the country self-reliant.
Opposition reacts
Opposition leaders on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that his government had failed to safeguard people’s interests and dubbed him a “compromised PM” after he made an appeal for judicious use of fuel and defer gold purchases as well as foreign travel to help save foreign exchange in the wake of the West Asia crisis.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the PM’s words were “evidence of failure”.
In a scathing attack on Prime Minister for calling for measures to be taken by citizens to overcome the challenges posed by the West Asia conflict, gandhi said that the “compromised PM” is no longer capable of running the country.
The opposition party also asked Prime Minister Modi not to shift the blame for “12 years of failures” onto the shoulders of the Indian public.
“Yesterday, Modi Ji called upon the public to make sacrifices — do not buy gold, do not travel abroad, consume less petrol, cut down on fertilisers and cooking oil, take the metro, and work from home,” Gandhi said in an X post in Hindi.
“These are not words of counsel; they are evidence of failure,” he said.
Over a span of 12 years, the country has been brought to such a juncture that the public now has to be told what to buy and what not to buy, where to go and where not to go, Gandhi said.
Seeking to defend the PM’s remarks, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said what Modi had said was the duty of the government and it was similar to how the government advises caution when there is a possibility of a tsunami or a storm.
“I think the opposition is once again making the mistake of opposing the government, the BJP and PM Narendra Modi to the extent that it risks crossing into opposing the nation,” Trivedi said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP government had failed in handling both the economy and foreign policy, calling its appeal an “admission of failure”.
In a post on X, Yadav said, “As soon as elections are over, the government suddenly remembered the ‘crisis’. In reality, there is only one crisis for the country and its name is BJP.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged that the austerity measures were a result of election-focused governance and the NCP (SP) said the BJP should “lead by example” before asking the public to curtail consumption and travel.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the PM should stop doing roadshows, holding public rallies and going on foreign trips to save fuel.
