New Delhi: Opposition parties on Monday launched a front against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urging citizens to reduce fuel and edible oil consumption amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia, claiming that fuel prices are certain to rise now that the assembly elections are over.This comes after PM Modi urged people to reduce the use of edible oil, adopt public transport, car-pooling and electric vehicles and move towards natural farming practices to reduce dependence on imports and save foreign exchange.Calling it a form of “economic self-defense”, PM Modi said patriotism today means responsible living and conscious consumption in the face of rising fuel prices due to global supply chain disruptions and conflicts in West Asia.who said whatRahul GandhiIn a social media post on Twitter, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said PM Modi’s appeal has exposed the limitations of his decade-long tenure.Rahul Gandhi said, “Yesterday, Modi ji asked the public to make sacrifices – don’t buy gold, don’t go abroad, use less petrol, cut down on fertilizers and cooking oil, take the metro, work from home. These are not sermons – these are testimonials to failure.”Also read: PM Modi emphasizes on reduction in fuel usage and gold purchase, supports WFHHe said, “In 12 years, he has taken the country to such a position that now the public has to be told what to buy, what not to buy, where to go and where not to go. Every time, he shifts the responsibility to the people so that they themselves can escape accountability. Running the country is no longer the purview of a compromised PM.”‘Modi ji will bear your burden till the elections’Responding to PM Modi’s remarks, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that common people are being asked to bear the burden in the name of patriotism.”Dear countrymen, Modi ji bore your burden till the elections, your usefulness ends as soon as the elections are over. Now stand in line in the name of patriotism. Gas becomes expensive; Now petrol and diesel will also become expensive. In the name of patriotism you will have to stop using petrol, diesel and gas; Don’t buy gold; Don’t even use cooking oil,” Singh said.He further alleged double standards in the government’s approach and criticized the Prime Minister’s public events and foreign visits.“But Modi ji will bring lakhs of people to his rallies, go on foreign trips, burn a lot of fuel; his people will not just buy gold – they will grab the wealth of the entire country – but you will keep being fooled. And yes, if you are not able to digest Modi ji’s inflation, then the blind devotee and broker media will declare you a Pakistani,” the AAP leader said.Akhilesh YadavMeanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP government has failed to handle both the economy and foreign policy, calling his appeal an “admission of failure”.In a post on X, Akhilesh said, “As soon as the elections were over, the government suddenly remembered the ‘crisis’. Actually, there is only one crisis for the country and its name is BJP.The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister questioned how the country would achieve its goal of becoming a “five trillion dollar economy” if the government was forced to impose multiple restrictions.“With so many restrictions being imposed, how will the much-touted ‘five trillion dollar economy’ become a reality? It appears that the BJP government has completely lost control,” he said.Claiming that the rupee is rapidly weakening against the dollar, Yadav alleged that the economic management of the BJP government has collapsed.“The dollar is skyrocketing while the Indian rupee is falling further,” he said.He also blamed the Centre’s foreign policy for the current economic situation and alleged that the BJP government has moved away from India’s traditional non-aligned approach.“The real reason behind these situations is the BJP government abandoning the country’s traditional policy of non-alignment and associating with certain groups due to specific pressures and interests,” he said.BJP hit backBJP hit back at Rahul Gandhi and claimed that Congress’s politics is limited to power and not nation building.In a post on Twitter, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Modi had not asked people to make sacrifices but urged them to make conscious choices in the national interest such as energy conservation, promoting indigenous products, conserving foreign exchange and strengthening self-reliance.He said, “But this is actually the problem of the Congress. Any call for public participation in the national interest seems like ‘preaching’ to them, because their politics has been limited to power, not nation-building.”Referring to the impact of the West Asia conflict, Malviya said that every global crisis affects the entire world and cited India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for countering Gandhi’s attack.“If appealing to the public to fulfill their responsibility is considered ‘failure’, then was your dear Nehru also a ‘compromising PM’?” he asked.“Nehru himself had said that when wars break out in other countries, its impact is felt in India in the form of inflation. Was that also an ‘excuse’ then, or was it considered responsible leadership at that time?” Malviya said.He also shared an old purported video of Nehru in which the former Prime Minister can be heard saying that when there are wars in countries like Korea or America, the country is affected.He said that responsible leadership tells the truth to the people and appeals for collective participation in facing the challenges.