New Delhi: Opposition parties launched a sharp attack on Narendra Modi after his appeal urging citizens to adopt austerity measures in response to rising global economic uncertainty linked to the escalating Middle East conflict.
Leaders from the Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and All India Trinamool Congress accused the Centre of poor economic planning and attempting to shift the burden of the crisis onto ordinary citizens.
The criticism followed the Prime Minister’s remarks in Hyderabad, where he urged people to reduce petrol and diesel consumption, avoid unnecessary foreign travel, postpone gold purchases for a year, adopt work from home practices wherever possible, and cut dependence on imported products. He also encouraged the use of public transport, electric vehicles, natural farming, and Made in India products to help India navigate global supply disruptions and inflationary pressures.
Rahul Gandhi strongly criticised the appeal, saying the government’s advice reflected economic failure rather than leadership. He questioned why citizens were being asked to make sacrifices instead of the government insulating the economy from global shocks.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram demanded greater transparency from the Centre and called for Parliament to be convened immediately to explain the seriousness of the situation and the triggers behind the Prime Minister’s directives.
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal accused the government of failing to secure India’s energy interests despite months of geopolitical tensions and rising instability in global oil markets.
Saket Gokhale of the Trinamool Congress questioned whether the country was facing pressure on foreign exchange reserves or a possible balance of payments crisis. He also criticised what he described as double standards, asking why ordinary citizens were being urged to cut expenses while ministers continued extensive official travel.
Amid the political row, the Centre has stepped up monitoring of the Middle East situation. An important meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers chaired by Rajnath Singh is scheduled to review the impact of the crisis on fuel supplies, shipping routes, inflation, and essential commodities.
The government has already held multiple review meetings in recent months to assess the economic impact of continued volatility in global energy markets and disruptions caused by the ongoing regional conflict.
