Speaking in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the contradiction between Modi's public advice to Indians — to save petrol, avoid gold purchases, reduce spending, and skip foreign travel ahead of an 'economic storm' — and his own subsequent trip to Italy aboard a ₹3,000–4,000 crore aircraft, reportedly carrying Melody toffees as a gift for Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
Economic Distress Highlighted
Gandhi pointed to widespread economic distress — petrol and gas shortages, factory shutdowns, rising inflation, and farmers going without fertilisers — and invoked Modi's tearful post-demonetisation promise to be hanged if black money wasn't eliminated. Drawing a line through demonetisation, the Covid lockdown, and the present moment, Gandhi warned: 'Once again the time is coming for folded hands and tears.'
Political Context
The attack comes amid growing criticism of the government's handling of the economy. Gandhi's remarks in Amethi, his parliamentary constituency, are part of a broader opposition campaign targeting the Modi administration's policies. The reference to the expensive jet and the gift of toffees was intended to underscore what Gandhi described as the prime minister's disconnect from common citizens' hardships.
Gandhi also recalled Modi's 2016 promise after demonetisation, saying that the prime minister had failed to deliver on pledges to eliminate black money. The opposition leader linked past crises to the current situation, suggesting that the government's mismanagement would lead to further suffering for the public.
