PM’s appeal exposes gap between economic reality, govt narrative: Congress

The Congress on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for austerity measures points to deeper economic troubles than the government has publicly acknowledged.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister’s remarks during a rally in Hyderabad indicated that the country’s economic situation may be far more severe than official figures suggest.

In a post on X, Ramesh claimed the government could be preparing the public for stringent austerity measures, including a possible rise in fuel prices.

“The economic reality on the ground is very different from the government’s narrative,” he said, pointing to stagnant real wages, rising household debt and weak private investment in job-generating sectors.

The Congress leader argued that the Centre was attempting to create public acceptance for difficult economic decisions by urging citizens to cut back on spending and consumption.

The opposition party had earlier criticised Modi over his remarks advising people to use petroleum products carefully amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Congress accused the government of failing to adequately safeguard India’s energy security despite the prolonged geopolitical tensions affecting global supply chains.

Addressing a Telangana BJP rally in Hyderabad on Sunday, Modi urged people to reduce fuel consumption, use public transport and carpooling, and make greater use of electric vehicles. He also suggested postponing foreign travel and gold purchases for a year in order to conserve foreign exchange reserves.

The Prime Minister said the crisis in West Asia had significantly increased the prices of petrol and fertilisers, putting pressure on the economy despite government efforts to manage the situation.

Calling for collective responsibility during global uncertainty, Modi also encouraged citizens to revive practices adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic, including remote working, virtual meetings and video conferencing.

He further appealed for reduced edible oil consumption, lower dependence on chemical fertilisers, and greater support for natural farming and domestically manufactured products to strengthen economic self-reliance.

Congress, however, described the remarks as evidence of the government’s inability to effectively handle the economic fallout of international crises, accusing it of shifting the burden onto ordinary citizens instead of implementing stronger contingency measures.

With PTI inputs