Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Friday, 15 May launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of performative austerity while presiding over a deepening fuel crisis — and labelling the administration the 'Gharkombda Bhushan' (Stay-at-Home) government in a scathing editorial published in the party's mouthpiece, Saamana.

The Austerity Contradiction

The editorial took direct aim at what it called a glaring inconsistency: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was recently photographed travelling through Delhi with just two security vehicles — a publicised display of fuel-saving austerity. The Saamana editorial questioned why a 50-car convoy was deemed necessary for the past 12 years if such a lean security detail was always sufficient. The UBT faction called the optics a sudden and convenient reversal, not a genuine shift in approach.

The Prime Minister had also issued guidance advising citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, work from home, and reduce vehicle usage to ease fuel shortages. The editorial noted the irony that while the public is being asked to stay home as an act of patriotism, the Prime Minister himself is simultaneously embarking on a tour of five countries.

Maharashtra CM's Motorcycle Ride Called 'Theatrical'

In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged citizens not to mock the Prime Minister's fuel-saving appeal. In a show of solidarity, Fadnavis reportedly traded his usual motorcade for a Bullet motorcycle to travel to Vidhan Bhavan, with his security personnel following on two-wheelers. The Saamana editorial dismissed this gesture as 'theatrical', pointing to what it described as recent extravagance — including the Chief Minister and his two Deputy Chief Ministers separately chartering flights to attend swearing-in ceremonies in other states.

ONGC's Financial Decline Under Scrutiny

The UBT faction's sharpest charge concerned the condition of state-run energy giant ONGC. According to the editorial, the company held a cash reserve of ₹13,000 crore in 2014 but is now reportedly drowning in ₹80,000 crore of debt — a staggering reversal that the party attributes to what it called self-serving policies of the ruling dispensation. The editorial further alleged that India's domestic oil production, which reportedly accounted for 27 per cent of the country's requirement in 2014, has allegedly dropped to 13 per cent under the current administration.

PM CARES and BJP Funds in the Crosshairs

The editorial also claimed that the BJP reportedly holds ₹10,000 crore in its party accounts, with additional funds sitting in the PM CARES Fund. The UBT camp called on the BJP to donate these funds to the national treasury as a genuine act of sacrifice and national service, arguing that symbolic gestures like motorcycle rides ring hollow against this financial backdrop.

The Foreign Policy Dimension

The editorial argued that a 'fearful' foreign policy — specifically, a refusal to purchase cheaper Russian gas reportedly due to pressure from the United States — is directly exacerbating the fuel crisis for ordinary Indian citizens. This comes amid a broader global energy realignment, where several countries have moved to secure discounted Russian energy supplies.

The editorial also drew a pointed historical comparison: during the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray followed PM Modi's work-from-home guidance to protect lives — a position that figures like Devendra Fadnavis criticised at the time. The UBT faction argued that those same leaders are now asking the public to adopt the very 'Gharkombda' posture they once mocked. How the ruling coalition responds to these charges — beyond symbolic gestures — will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.