Ranchi: The ruling JMM on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing him to lead by example before advising countrymen on austerity measures in view of the West Asia conflict.Modi had appealed to the public on Sunday to stop buying gold for a year, cut down on fuel use by carpooling, using public vehicles, refrain from foreign travel, among others, evincing criticism from the opposition parties.In a letter to Modi, JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya has urged him to postpone foreign trips except in special circumstances and suspend roadshows and BJP rallies for a year.“Where was all the good wisdom when lavish spending was done in the oath-taking ceremony of the new West Bengal govt just a few days back? Through his Gujarat roadshow on Monday, was the PM trying to mock at the public, scores of whom are struggling for cylinders and fuel even today?” Bhattarcharya told the media.The letter, on the other hand, also advised PM to stop loan waivers to select “corporates” and impose a one-year ban on the convoys of Union ministers and chief ministers of the BJP-governed states.JMM also accused the Centre of handing over the country’s natural resources, including water, forests and land, to corporates, and demanded that such practices be stopped.Calling for stronger support to the domestic economy, the JMM central general secretary urged the PM to promote locally produced goods by backing India’s medium and small industries. “Govt should also implement minimum support price (MSP) for all domestic agricultural produce and food items,” he said.Referring to the PM remarks on gold purchase, Bhattacharya wrote, “In Indian society, gold is traditionally linked to women’s wealth during auspicious ceremonies,” it said, accusing the Centre of indirectly wanting to impose an emergency and create a sense of uncertainty.State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said that compared to other countries, India has so far managed the situation well since the tensions in West Asia began. “It is only due to efforts of the Modi-led govt that people didn’t face any additional burden. PM’s appeal further encourages people to work together in collectively saving resources as much as possible in the interest of the country.”
