New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Congress MP Imran Masood on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal asking citizens to conserve fuel, avoid non-essential purchases including gold, and adopt austerity measures amid the ongoing global crisis, alleging that the burden of sacrifice is being placed solely on the public even as the ruling BJP continues to spend fuel on massive events.
“They want sacrifice only from the public. Only the public will make sacrifices. Even yesterday, two lakh litres of fuel were consumed for the event that you (PM Modi) organised. Your events will not stop, and the public should sacrifice. The whole country should pay for your immaturity.”
“Lal Bahadur Shastri had also appealed for sacrifice, but he first implemented it in his own house. Then he appealed to the people, which had an emotional impact. Your events and expenses are not reducing, yet you are asking people to reduce their spending,” Masood told IANS.
The Congress leader also questioned the practicality of the Prime Minister’s suggestion asking citizens to avoid gold purchases. “So, are all these jewellers supposed to starve? Will weddings not take place? In our tradition, it is customary to give gold at children’s weddings. What are these people supposed to do? What state have you reduced this country to? Everything that Rahul Gandhi had predicted is proving to be true,” he remarked.
Targeting the Prime Minister’s call for reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers and promoting natural farming, Masood alleged that the government was masking shortages by shifting responsibility to citizens and farmers.
“Leave fertilisers too, leave everything, keep teaching people new lessons. Because you do not have fertilisers available, you have started giving people these lessons. Accept your failures first, and then try to address them,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi had made the appeal on Sunday while addressing a BJP public meeting at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad.
Citing the economic impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Modi urged citizens to conserve fuel, use public transport, revive work-from-home practices, avoid non-essential purchases and overseas vacations, and help save foreign exchange.
The Prime Minister said patriotism also means living responsibly and contributing during difficult times. “Since petrol and diesel have become extremely expensive across the world, it is our responsibility to save fuel and thereby save the foreign exchange spent on purchasing petrol and diesel,” he said.
He also encouraged people to use metro rail and public transport, opt for car-pooling, increase railway transport for goods movement, and promote the use of electric vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and economic pressure arising from global instability.
–IANS
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