LUCKNOW, May 12: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday said the prime minister’s austerity appeal proves that the crisis confronting India is not limited merely to petroleum products, but it is a broader economic crisis set to deepen.
In a post on X, Mayawati referred to the appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exercise restraint amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and highlighted particularly the concerns regarding the energy crisis and foreign exchange reserves.
“This proves that the crisis confronting India is not limited merely to petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, and cooking gas; rather, an economic crisis is also set to deepen,” she said.
She added that the situation is already impacting lives of millions of Indians, and there are grave apprehensions that it will persist.
“In other words, at a time when nearly 100 crore citizens of the country, having already faced the severe blow of the COVID-19 era, are struggling even to secure their daily livelihood, there is nothing left of any significance to lose or to be more restrained about. Under these circumstances, the central and state governments should take proactive measures to provide some relief and support to these poor and hardworking families,” Mayawati said.
The BSP chief further said such measures would be in the interest of both people and the nation — reflecting the prevailing sentiment among the public.
Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the conflict in West Asia, Modi on Sunday had called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad, he suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange amid the crisis in West Asia.
Stressing the need to save foreign exchange due to the crisis, Modi called for postponing the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year.
“We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” he said, adding that due to the West Asia conflict, prices of petrol and fertilisers had increased significantly.
“We got into work-from-home, virtual meetings, video conferencing and many other methods during COVID-19. We got habituated to them. The need of the hour is to resume those methods,” Modi said. (PTI)
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