Modi’s Call to Citizens to Conserve Energy, BJP Attacks Rahul Gandhi for Criticising PM

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, May 11: The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggesting citizens for thrifty measures to cope with the crisis created by the West Asia war, has drawn instant criticism from the ruling BJP on Monday saying the Congress party’s politics has remained confined to power and had no interest in nation building.

The ruling party’s response came after Mr Gandhi attacked the Prime Minister who on Sunday had suggested measures to on the use of fuel and conservation of foreign exchange due to the crisis following the US-Israel war against Iran, Mr Gandhi had claimed that the “compromised PM” was no longer capable of running the country. The Congress leader said the Prime Minister’s words were “evidence of failure.”

Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad on Sunday, Mr Modi had suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles, 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, Mr Modi called for postponing the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year. He called for reduction in edible oil consumption, lowering the use of chemical fertilizers and promoting natural farming and Swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and make the country self-reliant.

Mr Modi also said patriotism was not limited to sacrificing one’s life for the country but also meant discharging responsibilities towards the nation during difficult times. Stressing that safeguarding national interests was not the responsibility of any one government or political party, he said every citizen, political party and organisation should work together to help the country overcome global challenges. He sought the support of the media in this regard.

Referring to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic the Ukraine war on the global economy, the Prime Minister had said supply chains had been severely disrupted, and prices of food, fuel and fertilizers had risen internationally. Despite these pressures, he said, the Centre was shielding farmers from the burden of rising fertilizer prices through subsidies. He said that fertilizer bags costing nearly ₹3,000 in the international market were being supplied to Indian farmers for less than ₹300.

Calling for a stronger implementation of the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign, the Prime Minister appealed to the people to prioritise locally manufactured (Swadeshi) products, including daily-use items such as shoes, bags and accessories. He asked families to cut down consumption of edible oil, stating that it would benefit both the country’s economy and public health.

Expressing concern over excessive use of chemical fertilizers, the Prime Minister said the practice was damaging soil health and increasing import dependence. He urged farmers to reduce chemical fertilizer usage by up to 50% and gradually shift towards natural farming practices. He encouraged the use of solar-powered irrigation pumps instead of diesel-run sets for agriculture.

“There is a situation where we are even forced to import cooking oil. We must achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils. The use of fertilizers should be reduced to protect soil fertility. We need to examine the products we use in our homes. Most of our daily-use items come from foreign countries. How can the nation progress if we depend on imports for everything? Everyone should pledge to use more indigenous products in their daily lives. Swadeshi is not merely a BJP slogan, it is a national policy,” Mr Modi said.

“Yesterday, Modi Ji called upon the public to make sacrifices… These are not words of counsel; they are evidence of failure,” Mr Gandhi said in an X post in Hindi. “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,” Mr Gandhi said. “Time and again, they shift the responsibility onto the public to evade their own accountability,” he added.

In a rejoinder to Rahul Gandhi’s attack, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Mr Modi had not asked people to make sacrifices but urged them to make conscious choices in the national interest, such as conserving energy, promoting indigenous products, preserving foreign exchange and strengthening self-reliance.

“But this is precisely the Congress party’s problem. Any call for public participation in the national interest sounds like ‘preaching’ to them, because their politics has remained confined to power, not nation-building,” he said in a post on X. Referring to the impact of the West Asia conflict, Mr Malviya said every global crisis affects the entire world and cited India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to counter Mr Gandhi’s attack.

“If appealing to the public to fulfil its responsibility is considered a ‘failure’, then was your beloved Nehru also a ‘compromised PM’?” he asked. “Nehru himself had said when wars break out in other countries, their 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?” Mr Malviya asked.

He also shared an old purported video of Mr Nehru in which the former Prime Minister can be heard saying that the country was impacted when wars take place in countries such as Korea or America. He added that responsible leadership tells people the truth and appeals for collective participation in facing challenges.

The government, however, on Monday clarified that there was no shortage of petrol or diesel in India and there was no need to panic. However, it maintained that citizens need to conserve fuel because of the heightened global turmoil and the situation in the West Asia where a conflict was underway between the United States (US) and Iran.

Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing over the situation in West Asia, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery) at Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, accepted that global supply chains have been disrupted causing a significant price volatility. However, India’s refineries are operating at optimum levels and there were no instances of dry-outs at any retail outlets, she said.

“Adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available, and LPG supplies for domestic cooking purposes are being maintained,” Sharma said. “Over the past three days, 1 crore 26 lakh LPG cylinders have been delivered to households against 1 crore 14 lakh bookings. Similarly, sales of commercial LPG have exceeded 17,000 tonnes over the last three days. Sales of Auto LPG have also surpassed 762 tonnes.”

Sharma said the government was constantly monitoring the situation, adding that several steps have been taken to ensure that fuel supplies were maintained for the common consumer with minimal inconvenience. She also reiterated PM Modi’s appeal and said people must reduce their consumption of petrol and diesel, and make every possible effort to conserve energy.