New Delhi, May 11 -- Opposition leaders on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that his government had failed to safeguard people's interests and dubbed him a "compromised PM" after he made an appeal for judicious use of fuel and defer gold purchases as well as foreign travel to help save foreign exchange in the wake of the West Asia crisis.
The BJP, however, defended Modi saying his appeal for austerity was in the larger national interest and should be followed by everyone.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi went on the offensive and alleged that the "compromised PM" was no longer capable of running the country and asked Modi not to shift the blame for "12 years of failures" onto the shoulders of ordinary Indians.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the PM's words were "evidence of failure".
"These are not words of counsel; they are evidence of failure," he said.
"Time and again, they shift the responsibility onto the public to evade their own accountability," Gandhi said, adding, "The compromised PM is no longer capable of running the country."
Congress chief Kharge said that at a time when people were struggling under the weight of adversity, the prime minister was busy lecturing the country on the virtues of saving.
He questioned why the Prime Minister was so engrossed in election campaigning and conducting roadshows.
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the appeal was aimed at guiding and inspiring people to conserve fuel, a limited resource.
"His suggestions are in the larger national and public interest, and all of us should follow them. This is what visionary leadership means, always thinking about the nation and its people, and guiding the country through every crisis," Chouhan said.
Seeking to defend the PM's remarks, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said what Modi had said was the duty of the government and it was similar to how the government advises caution when there is a possibility of a tsunami or a storm.
"I think the Opposition is once again making the mistake of opposing the government, the BJP and PM Narendra Modi to the extent that it risks crossing into opposing the nation," Trivedi said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP government had failed in handling both the economy and foreign policy, calling its appeal an "admission of failure".
In a post on X, Yadav said, "As soon as elections are over, the government suddenly remembered the 'crisis'. In reality, there is only one crisis for the country and its name is BJP."
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister questioned how the country would achieve the goal of becoming a "five trillion dollar economy" if the government was forced to impose several restrictions.
"It appears the BJP government has completely lost control," he said, adding that such statements from the government could create panic in the markets and the public.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged that the austerity measures were a result of election-focused governance and the NCP (SP) said the BJP should "lead by example" before asking the public to curtail consumption and travel.
CPIM general secretary MA Baby condemned the PM's call for austerity and said it was ironic that the Prime Minister called upon the people to implement austerity measures.
"The government has utterly failed to safeguard the interests of the people because of its decision to completely align with the US-Israel axis," he alleged.
"The PM's statement itself proves that all is not well with the economy," he said, as he questioned the timing of the remarks.
CPI leader D Raja asked, "Who is buying gold? Whom is the Prime Minister advising? Let him say who is buying gold. He is advising people not to buy gold, but people do not even have enough money to eat. They do not have money in their hands, so how can they buy gold? What is the Prime Minister saying?"
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the PM should stop doing roadshows, holding public rallies and going on foreign trips to save fuel.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.