Modi Govt Should Reveal Truth About Country’s Economic Condition To People: Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on the country's worsening economic situation, saying the Centre's repeated appeals asking citizens to cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign goods, reduce spending on gold, use public transport and adopt work-from-home practices indicate that the economy is heading towards a deep crisis.

Questioning why the burden of sacrifice is being placed only on the middle class, the AAP Chief asked why the government, ministers, industrialists and officers are not being asked to cut their own expenses. He also demanded that the Centre come clean on the real condition of the economy.

Addressing a press conference along with AAP Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, "The Prime Minister has said that the country is going through a severe economic crisis and because of this, he has appealed to the people of the country to take seven steps. First, work from home. Second, stop buying gold or buy as little gold as possible. Third, save oil and use public transport instead of petrol and diesel vehicles. Fourth, use fertilisers minimally and adopt natural farming. Fifth, use fewer foreign products and save foreign exchange. Sixth, reduce the use of cooking oil. And seventh, stop foreign travel and stop going abroad."

Recalling past crises, the AAP Supremo stated, "Since 1950, our country has gone through many difficult phases. We have faced wars with countries like China and Pakistan and we have also faced economic recessions. But never before has any Prime Minister asked the people of the country to take such harsh measures. Lal Bahadur Shastri had appealed to the people once and Indira Gandhi had also appealed at one point not to buy gold. Different Prime Ministers made different appeals, but no one has ever asked for such harsh measures and such sweeping sacrifices all at once. The entire country is in shock right now."

Arvind Kejriwal added, "I have three requests to PM Modi. First, if you have asked people to take such harsh steps, then it means the economy is in a very bad condition or there is fear that the situation could worsen further in the coming months. The country wants to know where we stand. You have asked us to do this and we are all patriotic citizens. We are ready to take the harshest steps and bear any difficulty or sacrifice for the country if needed. But at least tell us why these steps are being taken and where exactly the economy stands. Merely issuing orders will not work. This country belongs to 140 crore people."

"So my first request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that he should share with the country the complete reality of our economic condition and what kind of situation we may face in the coming months or within a year. Otherwise doubts arise in people's minds. All kinds of rumours are spreading. This is not good for the economy and not good for economic confidence," he emphasised.

On the global situation, the AAP Chief asserted, "We all know that this is happening because of the war between Iran and America. But the entire world is affected by that war. Every country is facing its impact. Yet no government in any country has appealed to its citizens to take these seven harsh measures. Some countries may have taken one or two steps, but no government has asked its citizens to make such sweeping sacrifices."

He continued, "This raises doubts in people's minds that perhaps the situation is far worse than just the Iran-US war. What circumstances is our country actually going through? So my second request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that he should explain to the people why India alone has been forced to take such extreme measures when every country is affected. How bad has the situation become?"

Questioning the burden on the middle class, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Why is the entire burden being placed on the middle class? All these measures affect only the middle class. The middle class is deeply patriotic and if needed it will do anything for the country. But why only the middle class?"

He further stated, "The first sacrifice should have come from the government itself. The government should have reduced its own expenses and consumption first. But the government has not cut anything. After that, the Prime Minister and all ministers together should have reduced their own spending and consumption. They too have not reduced anything. They are roaming freely, travelling abroad, using vehicles extensively and everything continues as before. They must also be buying plenty of gold."

The AAP Supremo added, "After that, if required, bureaucrats should have been asked to make sacrifices. Then there are the ultra rich, including some friends of PM Modi. PM Modi could have appealed to Gautam Adani and other ultra rich billionaires to make sacrifices too. But no appeal was made to them. The appeal has been made only and only to the middle class. That is what hurts."

Sharing conversations with citizens, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Over the last two days, I spoke to many people. They said that they are ready to sacrifice for the country, but why only us? Why will Gautam Adani not sacrifice? Why will ministers not sacrifice? Why will officers not sacrifice? Why will PM Modi not sacrifice? This country belongs to everyone. It belongs to 140 crore people. Why target only the middle class? We are all ready to do whatever is needed for the country, but the middle class alone should not be targeted and all information should be shared transparently with the country."