The Congress on Monday said that the “ground-level economic situation” was far removed from the government’s “propaganda”, seizing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity measures amid the West Asia crisis to allege that the economy was under severe strain.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Modi’s “unexpected pleas” to the people during a rally in Hyderabad suggested that “the economic situation is far more serious than what official numbers suggest”.
“The prime minister's unexpected pleas to the people of the country made from Hyderabad yesterday (Sunday) could mean the following -- The economic situation is far more serious than what official numbers suggest and what the prime minister and his colleagues have been claiming all this while,” Ramesh said on X.
He said the Centre could soon introduce austerity measures, including higher fuel prices.
“Tough austerity measures, including increase in fuel prices, may well be on their way and an environment is being created to make them more acceptable,” he said.
Ramesh also attacked the government over employment and wages.
“That the ground-level economic situation, reflected, for instance, in stagnation in real wages, growing household indebtedness, and lack of momentum in job-creating private investment -- is far removed from the Modi government's propaganda has been obvious for a long time,” he said.
The Congress had on Sunday criticised Modi over his call for judicious use of petroleum products, accusing him of failing to ensure India’s energy security amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
The opposition party termed it “shameless, reckless and downright immoral” to ask citizens to cut back on consumption instead of putting contingency measures in place to shield the economy from the global crisis.
Addressing a Telangana BJP rally in Hyderabad on Sunday, Modi had urged people to reduce fuel consumption, use metro rail services, adopt carpooling, increase use of electric vehicles and rely more on railways for parcel movement to conserve foreign exchange.
He also suggested postponing gold purchases and foreign travel for a year.
“We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” Modi said, citing a sharp rise in petrol and fertiliser prices due to the West Asia conflict.
“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,” Modi added.
Referring to changes adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said, “We got into work-from-home, virtual meetings, video conferencing, and many other methods during Covid-19. We got used to them. The need of the hour is to resume those methods.”
He also called for reducing edible oil consumption, cutting dependence on chemical fertilisers, promoting natural farming and encouraging the use of Swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and boost self-reliance.
(With inputs from PTI)
