New Delhi

Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity measures amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, accusing the Indian National Congress of prioritising power over nation-building.

The BJP’s response came after Gandhi attacked Modi’s suggestions to citizens on coping with the economic impact of the regional conflict, describing the prime minister’s remarks as “evidence of failure” and alleging that he was no longer capable of running the country.

In a post on X, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Modi had not asked citizens to make sacrifices but had urged them to make conscious choices in the national interest—such as conserving energy, promoting indigenous products, preserving foreign exchange and strengthening self-reliance.

Malviya said the Congress has a problem with public participation in nation-building because its politics has remained focused on power.

Invoking India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he questioned whether similar statements made by Nehru about the economic impact of foreign wars would also be considered “failure.”

He also shared an old video of Nehru in which he reportedly spoke about how conflicts in countries such as Korea or America affected India through inflation.

Addressing a BJP rally in Hyderabad on Sunday, Modi had called for judicious use of fuel, increased reliance on public transport, carpooling, electric vehicles, rail transport for logistics, and work-from-home options to reduce foreign exchange outflow.

He also urged citizens to defer gold purchases and foreign travel for a year, reduce edible oil consumption, promote natural farming, and support swadeshi products to strengthen economic resilience.

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Reacting to the appeal, Gandhi said on X that after 12 years in power, the government had brought the country to a point where citizens were being told what to buy, what to avoid, and where to travel, alleging that the government was shifting responsibility onto the public to escape accountability.