“Proofs of Failure…”: Rahul Gandhi Hits Out at PM Modi Over Appeal to Cut Fuel Use, Work-From-Home, Avoid Gold Purchases

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent appeal urging citizens to adopt austerity measures amid the global energy crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Gandhi stated that the Prime Minister’s suggestions, including reducing fuel consumption, postponing foreign travel, avoiding gold purchases and returning to work-from-home arrangements, were not “advice” but “proofs of failure” of the government.

“Modi ji demanded sacrifices from the public yesterday, don't buy gold, don't go abroad, use less petrol, cut down on fertiliser and cooking oil, take the metro, work from home,” Gandhi wrote in a post on X. “These are not sermons. They are proofs of failure,” he added.

The Congress leader accused the BJP-led government of repeatedly shifting responsibility onto ordinary citizens instead of addressing economic challenges through governance and policy measures. “In 12 years, he has brought the country to such a pass that the public has to be told what to buy, what not to buy, where to go and where not to go,” Gandhi said. “Every time, they shift the responsibility onto the people so they can escape accountability themselves,” he added, while also reviving his earlier “compromised PM” jibe at Modi.

The criticism came a day after Modi, while speaking at an event in Hyderabad, appealed to Indians to consciously reduce consumption and conserve resources in view of the ongoing global energy disruption caused by the conflict in West Asia. Calling it a moment of “national duty”, the Prime Minister urged people to minimise the use of petrol and diesel, rely more on public transport and consider carpooling.

“In this time of global crisis, we have to make a resolution keeping duty paramount and fulfil it with complete dedication,” PM Modi said. “A big resolution is to use petrol and diesel sparingly. We must curb our use of petrol and diesel. In cities with Metro lines, we should decide to travel by Metro only. If we must use a car, then we should try to carpool,” he added.

Drawing parallels with the Covid-19 period, Modi also encouraged companies and employees to consider returning to remote work wherever possible in order to reduce commuting and fuel usage. “It would be in the national interest if we restart working from home wherever possible,” the Prime Minister said. He further appealed to citizens to postpone foreign holidays and avoid purchasing gold for at least a year, citing pressure on foreign exchange reserves and rising import costs amid global uncertainty.

The Prime Minister’s comments come as the conflict between the United States and Iran continues to disrupt global oil supply chains, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s energy supply passes.

Congress leaders also joined Gandhi in criticising the Centre’s handling of the situation. Senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal alleged that the government appeared “clueless” about protecting India’s energy security despite the crisis continuing for weeks. “It is shameless, reckless and downright immoral that the Prime Minister is pushing common citizens into inconvenience instead of building contingencies to ensure our economy remains unaffected by this global crisis,” Venugopal said.

Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram questioned what had triggered the Prime Minister’s public appeal and demanded that Parliament be convened immediately to discuss the situation. Calling Modi’s remarks serious “directives”, Chidambaram said the government should inform the country about the “true state of affairs” that necessitated such appeals to the public.