New Delhi [India], May 11 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remarks on economic prudence and public spending, accusing the government of failing to address inflation and economic distress.
In a post on X, Kharge said, "When "poverty's flour is getting soaked" is happening, Modi ji is lecturing the country on saving."
Kharge said that while global tensions had impacted prices and supply chains, the Congress party had repeatedly flagged concerns related to the economy.
He further said, "On 28 February, war broke out in West Asia, and the Congress party highlighted every aspect the ruin of the economy, the rupee's continuous fall, the prices and shortages of petrol-diesel-LPG, shortage of Fertiliser for farmers, the looming threat to Food Security, the prices of medicines, the crisis of MSMEs and much more !!"
He questioned the government's response during earlier phases of the crisis, alleging that focus was instead on election campaigning and public events.
"But why was the Prime Minister ji engrossed in election campaigning? Why was he doing Roadshows? Why was he saying "the situation is under control", "sab changa si"?" he added.
He further criticised the Prime Minister's recent appeal for reduced consumption and savings measures, saying, "Now that the elections are over, the country is being preached to Don't do this, don't buy that, save this, Work From Home...!"
Kharge added that the burden of policy failures should not be shifted to citizens, invoking a literary reference to underline his criticism of those who offer post-facto advice.
"Don't dump the blame for your 12 years of failure on the people of the country, Modi ji !!! Goswami Tulsiram ji said it right "But there are many skilled at giving advice"," he concluded.
His remarks come after the Prime Minister made an appeal in Secunderabad on Sunday, urging citizens to prioritise work from home, cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, adopt Swadeshi products, reduce cooking oil use, shift to natural farming and curb gold purchases.
He stressed the need to reduce dependence on imports and said every household should cut down on edible oil consumption and move towards natural farming to help save foreign currency and protect the environment.
Highlighting the burden of fertiliser imports, the Prime Minister said India spends a significant amount of foreign exchange on importing chemical fertilisers and urged farmers to reduce their usage.
To combat the volatility of fuel prices, PM Modi urged a shift in how India moves. He urged citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using the metro and public transport wherever available, opting for car-pooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railway transport for the movement of goods, and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible.
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