Hyderabad: Hitting back at the Congress over criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal to reduce fuel consumption, Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao accused the party of selective outrage and reminded it of similar appeals made by former Congress PMs during times of national hardship.Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Rao said former PM Jawaharlal Nehru had once urged citizens to cut down rice and bread consumption and observe weekly fasts in the national interest. He also recalled that Lal Bahadur Shastri had promoted the ‘Monday fast’ campaign during food shortages.Rao further pointed out that former PM Indira Gandhi had appealed to people not to buy gold during the 1967 economic crisis, while former Union minister P Chidambaram made a similar appeal in 2013. “At that time, Congress did not object to such calls for public cooperation. Why the criticism now?” he questioned.The BJP leader also referred to former PM Manmohan Singh, recalling his statement that money does not grow on trees while defending subsidy cuts. Drawing a comparison between the UPA and NDA govts, Rao claimed India’s foreign exchange reserves had risen from $304 billion in 2014 to nearly $655 billion now, while the country had moved from the world’s 10th-largest economy to the fifth-largest.He added that despite global tensions and rising fuel prices in several countries, India had managed to maintain relative stability. Rao urged citizens to voluntarily support the PM’s suggestions, including preferring domestic tourism and buying Indian-made products. “BJP believes in a ‘nation first’ ideology, while Congress is focused on ‘power first’ approach. National interest should rise above political differences,” he said.
