Opposition slams PM Modi's austerity call to nation
India's opposition parties on Monday denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's request to Indians to make lifestyle changes and help cushion the country from the economic repercussions of the Iran war, deeming the leader's move a "failure" of policy.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Indian parliament's lower house, said Modi's appeal was a "proof of failure".
"Yesterday, Modi ji asked the public to make sacrifices — don't buy gold, don't go abroad, use less petrol, cut down on fertiliser and cooking oil, take the metro, work from home. These aren't sermons — these are proofs of failure," the Congress leader wrote in Hindi on X.
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— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 11, 2026
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"In 12 years, he's (Modi) brought the country to such a pass that the public now has to be told — what to buy, what not to buy, where to go, where not to go. Every time, they shift the responsibility onto the people just so they can wriggle out of accountability themselves," Gandhi went on to say as he referred to the Modi government's tenure.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram questioned what triggered Modi's "very serious "directives".
"The Government must convene Parliament immediately & take the nation into confidence & inform us about the true state of affairs which has necessitated these 'appeals',"he said.
These are very serious “directives” from the @PMOIndia, what are the triggers for this? The Government must convene Parliament immediately & take the nation into confidence & inform us about the true state of affairs which has necessitated these “appeals”. https://t.co/aEw3V6Gg6H
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) May 11, 2026
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Modi's call to the public was an "admission of failure" by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
He also questioned the timing of the prime minister's call to action, saying that the Middle East crisis suddenly "came to mind" for the government after the recently-concluded state elections.
