BJP's Trivedi poses 3 questions to Opposition over Modi's austerity appeal
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday hit back at Opposition parties over their criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public appeal for austerity, posing three pointed questions to political rivals and accusing them of practising a "politics of malice" at a time of global economic and energy stress.
Background: What Triggered the Row
The controversy erupted after PM Modi made a public appeal urging citizens to reduce reliance on imported goods, cut fuel consumption, postpone foreign travel, and prioritise domestically produced products. Opposition parties, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, argued that the appeal exposed the failure of the government's economic policies and amounted to shifting accountability onto ordinary citizens rather than accepting responsibility at the top.
Trivedi's Three Questions to the Opposition
Responding sharply to the Opposition's charge, Trivedi framed his counter-argument around three direct questions. First, he asked:
