‘Economic Storm On The Way, Get Ready For Shocks’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that inflation and fuel prices would continue to rise sharply and warned that the impact would be felt most severely by farmers, labourers, youth and small businesses rather than large corporate groups (Image: Telangana Today)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday warned that the country was heading towards a massive economic crisis, accusing the Narendra Modi government of ignoring the concerns of ordinary citizens while remaining focused on image-building and foreign tours.
Addressing a public function after inaugurating a wedding hall in Bachhravan in UP’s Raebareli, Gandhi said a serious “economic storm” was approaching and claimed the Centre had failed to prepare for the consequences of rising global tensions and fuel shortages.
“A war broke out between Iran and the United States. During the conflict, Iran seized control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic location through which a significant portion of the world’s oil passes, and declared that it would not loosen its hold,” Gandhi said.
“The entire world is now beginning to face severe shortages of oil, fertilisers and diesel,” he added.
The Congress leader claimed that inflation and fuel prices would continue to rise sharply and warned that the impact would be felt most severely by farmers, labourers, youth and small businesses rather than large corporate groups.
“The sad thing is that a severe economic storm is coming, which no one can stop, which we have never experienced in our lives,” he said.
“Who will get hurt? Not Ambani or Adani. They will remain in their palaces, secured from all four sides. It is the farmers of India, labourers, youth, the small businessmen and small industries — those who generate employment — who will suffer,” Gandhi remarked.
Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi accused him of giving contradictory messages to citizens. He alleged that while the government was asking people to cut spending and avoid certain purchases, the Prime Minister himself continued to undertake foreign visits.
“The Prime Minister tells people not to buy gold, to shift to electric vehicles and not to travel abroad. But immediately after saying this, he leaves for a foreign tour himself,” Gandhi said.
He further warned that rising fuel costs would worsen inflation and deepen the economic distress already being faced by common citizens.
“Petrol prices are set to rise, and inflation will skyrocket. Yet, they say Rahul Gandhi understands nothing,” he said.
“Even today, we continue to tell them: take action, protect the public, protect the farmers. But they have nothing to do. Sometimes they fly off to Norway, then to Japan, and then somewhere else. Why?” he asked.
Gandhi also claimed that the government lacked both urgency and willingness to address the economic challenges emerging from global instability. According to him, ordinary Indians were being left vulnerable while the ruling establishment remained disconnected from ground realities.
Congress targets Narendra Modi over Norway media interaction
The Congress also launched a sharp political attack on Prime Minister Modi over his interaction with the media during his visit to Norway, accusing him of consistently avoiding press questions and weakening democratic accountability.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that Modi had spent years avoiding open media engagement and had become uncomfortable facing unscripted questions from journalists.
“The entire country witnessed how our ‘teleprompter-jeevi’ PM was seen dodging and running away from a mere question on foreign soil,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
“The world saw that the head of state of the world’s largest democracy is not comfortable facing even a single question,” he added.
Referring to a question posed to the Prime Minister during the Norway visit, Ramesh argued that India’s democratic traditions had historically valued accountability through public interaction with the media.
“In India’s democracy, the media, the Opposition and heads of state have always upheld the tradition of asking and answering questions,” he said.
“However, in the last 12 years, this tradition has almost been broken by the prime minister,” Ramesh alleged.
The Congress also attempted to contrast Modi’s media approach with that of Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Leader of Opposition had remained consistently accessible to journalists and willing to take unscripted questions.
Party leaders claimed that while Opposition figures regularly faced difficult questions, the Prime Minister continued to rely on carefully managed appearances and controlled communication.
The criticism over Modi’s Norway visit came amid broader Opposition attacks on the government over inflation, rising fuel prices and the handling of India’s economic situation. Congress leaders argued that the country was facing increasing uncertainty while the government remained more focused on publicity and political messaging than addressing the concerns of ordinary citizens.
