Congress leader Jairam Ramesh addresses a press conference in New Delhi. FIle
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The Congress on Monday (May 11, 2026) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “unexpected pleas” to the people from Hyderabad could mean that tough austerity measures may well be on their way, and claimed that the ground-level economic situation is far removed from the “government’s propaganda”.
Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh asserted that the time for reckoning has arrived.
“The Prime Minister’s unexpected pleas to the people of the country made from Hyderabad yesterday (Sunday) could mean the following — The economic situation is far more serious than what official numbers suggest and what the prime minister and his colleagues have been claiming all this while,” Mr. Ramesh said on X.
“Tough austerity measures, including increase in fuel prices, may well be on their way and an environment is being created to make them more acceptable,” he said.
“That the ground-level economic situation — reflected, for instance, in stagnation in real wages, growing household indebtedness, and lack of momentum in job-creating private investment — is far removed from the Modi government’s propaganda has been obvious for a long time,” Mr. Ramesh said.
The Congress on Sunday (May 10, 2026) attacked Mr. Modi over his remarks urging citizens to use petroleum products judiciously, saying the Prime Minister is clueless about ensuring India’s energy security even after three months into the U.S.-Iran war.
The Opposition party said it is “shameless, reckless and downright immoral” that the Prime Minister is pushing people into inconvenience, rather than building contingency plans to ensure the country’s economy is unaffected by this global crisis.
Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the West Asia conflict, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday (May 10, 2026) called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Published – May 11, 2026 12:07 pm IST
