Opposition parties are spreading panic over PM’s voluntary, precautionary appeal: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) accused the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Samajwadi Party (SP) of spreading panic and misinformation, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to avoid unnecessary gold purchases and foreign travel was voluntary, precautionary, and aimed at protecting India’s economy.

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At a press briefing, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said there was no shortage of any essential commodity in the country and that the government had taken effective measures to safeguard oil, gas, and foreign exchange reserves.

India, now among the world’s fastest-growing economies under the leadership of Mr. Modi, was confronting every challenge with strength and confidence, Mr. Bhatia said.

Despite 70 days of war, there had been no shortage of oil in the country, and fuel prices had not increased, and the government also reduced excise duty on both petrol and diesel by ₹10 per litre, he said. The government had taken several concrete steps, resulting in a nearly 30% increase in domestic oil and gas production, he added.

However, he pointed out, petrol prices increased by 23% in China, 45% in the United States, and 30% each in Canada and Australia after the outbreak of war in West Asia.

Targeting the Congress, AAP, and SP, the BJP leader said they were “indulging in politics even on issues related to national interest”. While the people fully supported Mr. Modi’s appeals, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Opposition leaders, including AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, were making statements which created the impression that they were not even aware which countries were currently involved in war, the BJP spokesperson said.

Former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Indira Gandhi had also made similar appeals in the past, Mr. Bhatia said. He referred to a statement by then Union Minister P. Chidambaram on June 13, 2013, in which he had appealed to the people to not to purchase gold.

Mr. Bhatia also accused the Congress of spreading misinformation by posting a 2011-12 photograph to indicate a shortage of gas cylinders, which was not the case in reality.