Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday urged people not to fall victim to “the opposition’s negative politics and narrative”, asking them to stand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his appeal for moderating fuel use and other expenses.
He was speaking at the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremony for various public welfare projects worth over Rs 208 crore in Maharajganj district.
He said, “The conflict between the United States and Iran in West Asia has impacted oil supplies. The supply of diesel, petrol and LPG — the volume that was previously available — has been significantly affected. The government is incurring losses amounting to thousands of crores every single day.
“This loss belongs to the nation, and by ‘nation’, we mean the people.
What, then, becomes the responsibility of the public? It is incumbent upon every citizen to stand alongside the government and, in doing so, stand united with the nation.” He further said that in major countries across the world, the prices of diesel, petrol and LPG have increased manifold.
“India, however, has managed to keep them under control so far. But we must not fall victim to the negative politics and negative narratives of the opposition. If a decision is taken in the national interest, we must stand with Prime Minister Modi ji,” Adityanath said, asserting further that “nothing is greater than the country”.
Referring to the West Asia crisis, the he said, “Just as the country successfully fought the COVID-19 pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the challenges related to fuel and essential commodities caused by the conflict must also be faced collectively.”
He appealed to people to follow the prime minister’s call to save electricity and fuel and strengthen the nation through small efforts.
The chief minister said if a farmer can obtain only one and a half bags of urea when they need two, some compost should be arranged from shelters for destitute cattle. “The fertiliser designated for Maharajganj district must reach the farmers of this district alone,” he added.
Asserting that every public representative must stand in solidarity with farmers as well as with the masses, he said, “Furthermore, they must impress upon the public that in order to confront current challenges, it is imperative to curb any form of unethical black marketing or any activity that could give rise to unnecessary public outrage. This is our collective responsibility.” He further said, “I would like to appeal to all jewellers and bullion traders as well. As the prime minister has rightly said that instead of importing gold from abroad, we need to focus our attention on repairing, restoring and remodelling the gold that is already present within our own homes.
“If we all work in this direction, save our own money as well as the nation’s wealth, we can utilise these savings to help our country emerge stronger from this global crisis.” Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the conflict in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana BJP in Hyderabad, he suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), utilising railway services for parcel movement, and working from home to conserve foreign exchange amid the crisis in West Asia.
Stressing the need to save foreign exchange due to the crisis, Modi called for postponing the purchase of gold and foreign travel for one year.