BJP Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi Over Criticism of PM Modi's Austerity Appeal

The BJP on Monday hit back at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity appeal amid the West Asia conflict, accusing the Congress of prioritising power politics over nation-building. The ruling party’s response came after Gandhi attacked Modi over his suggestions to citizens on coping with the fallout of the West Asia crisis, saying the “compromised PM” was no longer capable of running the country. The Congress leader had said the prime minister’s remarks were “evidence of failure”. Countering Gandhi, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Modi had not asked people to make sacrifices but appealed for responsible choices in the national interest. In a post on X, Malviya said Modi had urged citizens to conserve energy, promote indigenous products, preserve foreign exchange and strengthen self-reliance. “But this is precisely the Congress party's problem. Any call for public participation in the national interest sounds like 'preaching' to them, because their politics has remained confined to power, not nation-building,” he said.