Pm Modi: ‘Your utility is done’: Oppn warns of petrol, diesel price hike after PM Modi’s appeal to cut fuel use amid West Asia crisis | India News

Calling it a form of “economic self-defense”, Prime Minister Modi said patriotism today means responsible living and conscious consumption in the face of global supply chain disruptions and rising fuel prices due to conflicts in West Asia.Who said what?Rahul GandhiIn a social media post on X, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Modi’s appeal exposed the limitations of his decade-long tenure.“Yesterday, Modiji asked people to make sacrifices – don’t buy gold, don’t go abroad, don’t use less petrol, reduce fertilizers and cooking oil, take metro, work from home. These are not advices – they are proof of failure,” said Rahul Gandhi.Read more: PM Modi is pushing to reduce fuel consumption and buy gold, in favor of WFH“In 12 years, he has brought the country to such a level that the people now have to say what to buy, what not to buy, where to go and where not to go. Every time, they put the responsibility on the people so that they themselves can escape accountability. It is no longer the responsibility of an uncompromising prime minister to run the country,” he added.‘Till elections, Modi ji will carry your burden’Reacting to PM Modi’s comments, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the common man was being asked to bear the burden in the name of patriotism.“Dear countrymen, till the elections, Modi ji carries your burden; once the elections are over, your usefulness is over. Now stand in line in the name of patriotism. Gas prices are up; This time the price of petrol and diesel will also increase. Use of petrol, diesel and gas should be stopped in the name of patriotism; Don’t buy gold; Don’t even use cooking oil,” said Singh.He alleged double standards in the government’s approach and criticized the Prime Minister’s public events and foreign visits.“But Modiji will bring lakhs of people to his rallies, go on foreign tours, burn a lot of fuel; his people will not only buy gold – they will loot the wealth of the entire country – but you will be fooled. And yes, if you can’t beat Modiji’s inflation, blind fans and lapdog media will declare you Pakistani,” the AAP leader added.Akhilesh YadavMeanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP government had failed to manage both the economy and foreign policy, calling his plea an “admission of failure”.In a post on X, Akhilesh said, “The government’s sudden ‘crisis’ came to mind as soon as the elections were over. In fact, there is only one crisis for the country and that is the BJP.”The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister questioned how the country would achieve its goal of becoming a “five trillion dollar economy” if the government is forced to impose several restrictions.“With so many restrictions being imposed, how will the much-vaunted ‘five trillion dollar economy’ become a reality? It seems the BJP government has lost complete control,” he said.Claiming that the rupee is weakening sharply against the dollar, Yadav alleged that the BJP government’s economic management has collapsed.“The dollar is skyrocketing while the Indian rupee is sinking deeply,” he said.He also blamed the Centre’s foreign policy for the current economic situation, alleging that the BJP government had moved away from India’s traditional non-alignment approach.“The real reason behind this situation is that the BJP government abandoned the country’s traditional non-alignment policy and aligned itself with certain groups due to certain pressures and vested interests,” he said.BJP hit backThe BJP hit back at Rahul Gandhi and claimed that Congress politics remained limited to power, not nation-building.In a post on X, BJP IT chief Amit Malviya said Modi did not ask people to make sacrifices but urged them to make informed choices in the national interest, such as conserving energy, promoting domestic products, conserving foreign exchange and strengthening self-reliance.“But this is precisely the problem of the Congress. Any call for public participation in the national interest sounds like ‘propaganda’ to them, as their politics is limited to power, not nation building,” he said.Referring to the impact of the conflict in West Asia, Malviya said that every global crisis affects the entire world and quoted India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in countering Gandhi’s attack.“If appealing to the public to discharge his duties was considered a ‘failure’, was your dear Nehru also a ‘compromise prime minister’?” he asked.“Nehru himself said that when war breaks out in other countries, its impact is felt in India in the form of inflation. Was that also an ‘excuse’ then, or was it considered responsible leadership at the time?” Malviya said.He also shared an old purported video of Nehru in which the former prime minister is heard saying that the country is affected when there is a war in a country like Korea or America.He added that responsible leadership tells people the truth and appeals to collective participation in meeting challenges.