New Delhi, 11 May (H.S.): Congress leaders have sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for “sensible” or “frugal” consumption, calling it a document of economic failure rather than a genuine public‑service message. The opposition branded the Prime Minister’s request for restraint on jewellery buying, overseas travel and fuel use as yet another attempt to shift the burden of policy shortcomings onto ordinary citizens.

Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, responded to the Prime Minister’s address on X (formerly Twitter), saying Modi’s call for people to avoid buying gold, refrain from foreign trips, use less petrol and cut back on fertiliser and edible‑oil imports was clear evidence of the government’s failure over 12 years.

He argued that after a decade in power, the government had pushed the economy to a point where it now felt compelled to “instruct people what to buy and what not to buy.”

“In 12 years, the country has been brought to such a low point that now the people have to be told what to consume and what not to consume,”

Gandhi wrote.

“Every time responsibility is dumped on the public so that the government can escape accountability.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also hit out at the Prime Minister’s “sermon” on saving, sarcastically criticising the timing of such appeals when ordinary Indians are already struggling with tightened budgets, inflation and economic stress.

“In the midst of present hardships, the people are being preached to, not supported,” Kharge said on X. He alleged that when tensions escalated in West Asia in February, the Congress had warned about the perils of economic damage, falling rupee and surging inflation, but the government was “busy with election‑time rallies.”

“While the economy and food security were under threat, the Prime Minister was touring and holding roadshows instead of taking precautionary steps,” Kharge added. “Now that elections are over, restrictions and lectures are being imposed on the public.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on Sunday, urged citizens in Hyderabad, Telangana, to conserve fuel, consider postponing overseas trips, reduce gold buying and promote India‑made products, even as the war in West Asia and global uncertainty threaten oil prices and trade flows. His remarks were framed as an appeal for national resilience and self‑reliance.

However, Congress leaders allege that the same government which mounted a massive election‑campaign spectacle is now asking citizens to tighten their belts, while avoiding any direct admission of policy lapses.

Kharge Quotes Tulsi Das

Drawing on classical imagery, Kharge quoted Tulsidas’s “paar upadesh kushal bahutere”—meaning many may be skilled at giving advice to others, but few are willing to follow it themselves. He used the couplet to underscore his accusation that the Prime Minister is “good at preaching austerity to others, but not at practising it in governance.”

“Let the Prime Minister stop passing the weight of his 12 years of failures on to the people’s shoulders,” Kharge said. “Preaching alone will not solve the country’s economic distress.”

By framing Modi’s frugality message as a signal of policy failure, the Congress leadership is trying to sharpen the narrative that the current economic pressures are the outcome of long‑term mismanagement, not just external shocks.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar