Iran effect | Polls done, PM seeks Covid-era measures from people: WFH, don’t buy gold

After repeatedly assuring citizens that everything was hunky dory and that India could effectively mitigate the effects of the West Asia crisis on fuel and cooking gas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (May 10) dropped the bomb right after the swearing-in ceremonies concluded in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and the second Himanta Biswa Sarma government firmly on its way in Assam.

Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad, Modi emphasised that the Centre was trying to shield people from the adverse impact of war but, at the same time, called for measures by citizens to overcome the challenges and to “help the country”.

Covid-era measures

The PM suggested “Covid-era measures”, including judicious use of petrol and diesel, using Metro Rail services in cities, carpooling, maximum use of EVs, utilising railway services to send parcels, and working from home to save foreign exchange.

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“Due to the war, prices of petrol and fertiliser have increased a lot,” he said. When there is pressure on the supply chain, difficulties increase despite various measures by the government to overcome the crisis, Modi said.

“That is why, during the global crisis, keeping the country above all else, we have to take resolutions,” he said.

“We have developed work from home, virtual meetings, video conferencing and many other methods during Corona (Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown). We got habituated to it. The need of the hour is to resume those methods,” he said.

Stressing the need to save foreign exchange due to the West Asia crisis, Modi called for postponing the purchase of gold and foreign visits for one year. “We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” he said.

He called for reducing the consumption of edible oil, lowering the use of chemical fertilisers, promoting natural farming and Swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and make the country self-reliant.

Elections and petty politics sole priority of PM: Congress

Shortly after his speech, the Congress attacked the prime minister, saying he was clueless about ensuring India’s energy security even after three months into the US-Iran war.

The opposition party said it is “shameless, reckless and downright immoral” that the PM was pushing the people into inconvenience, instead of building contingencies to ensure the country’s economy is unaffected by this global crisis.

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In a post on X, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “When elections and petty politics are the sole priority of the PM, the end result is an impending economic catastrophe.”

The PM and his government must make all necessary arrangements to ensure India has ample fuel reserves and no citizen faces any hardship as a result of their lack of planning, Venugopal said.

He also called for reducing use of edible oil as well as chemical fertilisers, and promoting natural farming and swadeshi products to save foreign exchange and to make the country self-reliant.

The Hormuz chokepoint

The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for over two months amid the US-Israel war with Iran, driving up oil prices and draining foreign reserves. Iran plans to levy tolls on passing ships, while the US vows to intercept any vessel that pays. About 1,500 ships remain stranded in the Gulf, the UN’s IMO reported.

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While domestic LPG prices in India have already increased by Rs 60 per cylinder nationwide due to supply disruptions, commercial LPG users, such as restaurants and hotels, have faced the brunt of the global energy crunch with the steepest hikes in history. In just three months (March–May) prices have increased by over Rs 1,300 with prices jumping by a record Rs 993 per cylinder in one day on May 1.

(With agency inputs)