Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 11 : BJP leader Boora Narsaiah Goud on Monday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "seven appeals" urging citizens to become "economic warriors", saying the Prime Minister's guidelines were necessary in view of global economic pressures arising from multiple conflicts and geopolitical tensions.
Speaking to ANI, Goud described Prime Minister Modi's public meeting at Parade Grounds in Telangana as a "spectacular success" and said the Prime Minister had outlined important economic policy directions for the country.
"Yesterday's meeting under the leadership of PM Modi at Parade Grounds in Telangana was a spectacular success. In this meeting, PM Modi gave some specific policy guidelines addressed to the people of India," Goud said.
The BJP leader said ongoing global conflicts and economic pressures were affecting India's economy and foreign exchange reserves.
"Because of various developments such as the Iran-Iraq conflict, the Ukraine-Russia war, and also America directly and indirectly trying to corner India economically, we have to reduce the trade deficit by conserving foreign exchange. Unfortunately, we are heavily dependent on imports for petroleum products, edible oil, electronics, gold and silver," he said.
"This is the reason why PM Modi has specifically requested the people of India to become economic warriors and reduce the purchase of gold," Goud added.
The remarks came a day after Prime Minister Modi, while addressing a gathering in Secunderabad, urged citizens to reduce dependence on imports and adopt responsible consumption habits to strengthen the economy amid global supply chain disruptions and rising costs caused by international conflicts.
The Prime Minister appealed to people to reduce edible oil consumption, use public transport, prefer carpooling, adopt electric vehicles and move towards natural farming practices in order to reduce the country's import burden and conserve foreign exchange.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the Prime Minister's appeals, terming them "proofs of failure" rather than "sermons."
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of shifting responsibility onto citizens while attempting to avoid accountability for inflation and economic pressures.
Prime Minister Modi, however, described the appeals as part of a broader effort towards "economic self-defence" and responsible patriotism during a period of global uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions.