PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal (R)

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal Sharp questions were asked to the Prime Minister on Tuesday Narendra ModiThe “seven appeals” to citizens amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia say the country is “shocked” by the government’s message on the economy.Addressing a press conference, the AAP chief said India has gone through many crises since independence, including wars and economic recession, but such a widespread public appeal had never been made before.“Since 1950, the country has faced several crises, including wars with Pakistan and China and economic crises. Leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi had earlier appealed to people not to buy gold, but no government had made such a comprehensive ‘seven appeals’ to citizens.” The country is in shock,” Kejriwal said.The former Delhi chief minister said he had “three requests” from the Prime Minister after his recent remarks asking people to cut down on consumption and spending amid global economic uncertainty.He said, “I have three requests from the Prime Minister. He should tell the country what is the state of our economy today and what is expected to happen in the near future. There are a lot of rumors floating in the market today and this is not good for confidence in the economy.”Kejriwal linked the situation to the escalating Iran-US conflict and the broader West Asia crisis, but questioned why India’s response appeared more serious than that of other countries.He said, “We all know that this is happening because of the Iran-America war and the whole world is affected. But the government of any country has not made such an appeal to its citizens. This raises suspicion that perhaps the reason is something else.”The AAP leader also expressed concern that the middle class was being disproportionately burdened.Kejriwal said, “The middle class is very patriotic, but why is the entire burden being put on them only? The first sacrifice should have come from the government itself.”His comments come after PM Modi, speaking in Secunderabad on Sunday, urged citizens to change consumption habits in response to rising 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 indigenous products, cut down on the use of cooking oil, adopt natural farming and reduce gold purchases.Emphasizing the need to cut import dependence, PM Modi said every family should reduce consumption of edible oil and support natural farming to save foreign exchange and protect the environment.Highlighting India’s rising fertilizer import bill, the Prime Minister urged farmers to gradually reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.To deal with volatile fuel prices, PM Modi also called for greater use of metro systems and public transport, encouraged car-pooling, promoted railways to transport goods and pushed for widespread adoption of electric vehicles.The appeals come amid tensions in West Asia and a deepening global energy crisis caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trade route in the Gulf region.