Prime Minister Narendra Modi has significantly reduced the size of his convoy during recent domestic visits, signalling that the Centre’s call for restraint amid the West Asia crisis will also reflect at the top level of government, a report said on Wednesday.
According to ANI, the Prime Minister’s convoy was scaled down in Gujarat and Assam immediately after his speech in Hyderabad, while maintaining all mandatory security arrangements under the Special Protection Group (SPG) protocol. The news agency mentioned sources as saying that PM Modi has asked officials to include Electric Vehicles in his convoy “where possible”, without making fresh purchases.
The latest move comes days after the Prime Minister publicly appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary spending, reduce fuel consumption, postpone gold purchases, and prefer local products as global supply chains remain under stress due to tensions in West Asia. The remarks triggered a sharp political exchange between the BJP and Congress, with the ruling party defending the appeal as a precautionary economic step during a volatile global situation.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, speaking to ANI in Leh, defended PM Modi’s remarks and accused the Congress of hypocrisy over its criticism of the Centre’s austerity messaging.
“Two days ago, the Prime Minister made a good call – purchase less gold, do not travel abroad unnecessarily, and spend less petrol and diesel…Congress has made this into a big issue. PM just urged the people for this,” Dubey said.
Dubey claimed previous Congress governments had imposed far stricter controls during economic crises, citing the Gold Control Act introduced during Indira Gandhi’s tenure. He alleged that lakhs of people faced penalties and arrests under those measures.
“Any guardian tells their children the same thing: to spend less money. Congress turned that into a big controversy,” he remarked.
PM Modi’s seven-point appeal amid West Asia tensions
The Prime Minister, while addressing a gathering in Vadodara earlier this week, had said the conflict in West Asia was among the “major crises of this decade” and urged people to reduce dependence on imported products.
His seven appeals included reducing petrol and diesel usage, postponing gold purchases, avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, promoting work from home and virtual meetings, cutting cooking oil consumption, adopting natural farming, and choosing locally made products.
PM Modi had also asked citizens to rely more on public transport, electric buses and carpooling wherever possible.
“I appeal to every citizen of my country to reduce the use of petrol-diesel as much as possible,” the Prime Minister had said.
BJP cites Congress-era austerity measures
As the Congress intensified criticism over the Centre’s messaging, BJP leaders and political observers pointed to earlier appeals made by former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Manmohan Singh during periods of economic or wartime stress.
Dubey referred to measures taken after the 1962 India-China war and the 1965 India-Pakistan war, while also questioning the Congress over past restrictions on gold imports and ownership.
The Congress, meanwhile, accused the government of passing the burden of economic uncertainty on ordinary citizens instead of insulating them from the impact of the global crisis.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Prime Minister was asking consumers to reduce spending after India’s dependence on imported crude oil and gas had increased over the years.
Industry voices back moderation in consumption
The Prime Minister’s remarks have also found support from sections of the financial sector and industry.
Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak said India must prepare itself for prolonged global uncertainty and avoid “living beyond its means”.
“There are some simple things that a country can do, which is to moderate unnecessary consumption,” Kotak said during an industry interaction at the CII Annual Summit.
A recent report by JM Financial Institutional Securities also described PM Modi’s remarks as “market signalling before actual measures” if geopolitical tensions continue. The report noted that elevated crude oil prices and supply disruptions could increase pressure on India’s external account and currency in the coming weeks.
The brokerage said the government may eventually opt for gradual measures such as higher fuel prices in phases, temporary curbs under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), or higher duties on gold imports if the situation worsens.