PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal (R)
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sharply questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “seven appeals” to citizens amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, saying the country was “in shock” over the government’s messaging on the economy.Addressing a press conference, the AAP chief said India had gone through several crises since Independence, including wars and economic downturns, but such sweeping public appeals had never been made before.“Since 1950, the country has faced many crises, including wars with Pakistan and China and economic crises. Leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi had appealed to people not to buy gold earlier as well, but no government had made such extensive ‘seven appeals’ to citizens. The nation is in shock,” Kejriwal said.The former Delhi chief minister said he had “three requests” for the Prime Minister following his recent remarks asking people to cut consumption and spending amid global economic uncertainty.“I have three requests from the PM. He should tell the nation the condition of our economy today and what is expected in the near future. Today, a lot of rumours are floating in the market and this is not good for confidence in the economy,” he said. Kejriwal linked the situation to the escalating Iran-America conflict and the wider West Asia crisis, but questioned why India’s response appeared more severe than that of other nations.“We all know this is happening because of the Iran-America war, and the whole world is affected. But no government in any country has made such appeals to its citizens. This creates suspicion that perhaps the reason is something else,” he said.The AAP leader also raised concerns over what he described as the burden being shifted disproportionately onto the middle class.“The middle class is very patriotic, but why is the entire burden being put only on them? The first sacrifice should have come from the government itself,” Kejriwal said.His remarks came after PM Modi, speaking in Secunderabad on Sunday, urged citizens to change consumption habits in response to mounting global economic pressures and disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict.The Prime Minister appealed to people to work from home wherever possible, reduce fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, buy Swadeshi products, cut down on cooking oil use, adopt natural farming and reduce gold purchases.Emphasising the need to cut import dependence, PM Modi said every household should reduce edible oil consumption and support natural farming to save foreign exchange and protect the environment.Highlighting India’s rising fertiliser import bill, the Prime Minister urged farmers to gradually reduce the use of chemical fertilisers.To deal with volatile fuel prices, PM Modi also called for greater use of metro systems and public transport, encouraged car-pooling, promoted railways for goods transport and pushed for wider adoption of electric vehicles.The appeals come amid a deepening global energy crisis triggered by tensions in West Asia and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil trade route in the Gulf region.
