Manmohan Singh did not ask citizens to stop travelling abroad: Raj Thackeray slams PM Modi's austerity appeal

"The Prime Minister himself is embarking on another multi-country foreign tour beginning May 15. First cancel these travels and then preach austerity,” said Raj.

Mumbai: In a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his seven-point appeal, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena founder-president Raj Thackeray said that his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh never made such an appeal.

Raj, the nephew of late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, said that Prime Minister and senior leaders continue to travel across the country with massive convoys, roadshows, helicopters, flower showers, and extravagant political campaigns.

"Crude oil today is hovering around 90–100 dollars per barrel. But this is not the first time the world has seen such prices. During the 2008 financial crisis, during the Arab Spring of 2011–12, and the 2013–14 phase, when the BJP itself aggressively attacked the UPA over fuel prices), and again during the OPEC production cuts in 2022–23, crude prices had similarly touched these levels. During 3-4 such periods Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. Narendra Modi himself held the position once,” Raj said.

“Dr. Manmohan Singh did not ask citizens to stop travelling abroad. Narendra Modi himself did not make such appeals earlier either. So why now? When global crude prices had fallen to nearly 60–65 dollars per barrel, Indian citizens were still paying extremely high prices for petrol and diesel because of heavy taxation. The government earned lakhs of crores through fuel taxes. Where did that money go?,” he asked.

“The Prime Minister once mocked the “freebie culture.” Yet elections - from Maharashtra to Bihar to West Bengal - are increasingly fought and won through precisely such populist giveaways. In Maharashtra, the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme has put tremendous strain on state finances. Instead of genuinely empowering women through jobs, education, and safety, governments distribute temporary cash benefits while inflation silently takes back much of that money. If the economic situation is indeed serious, will the Prime Minister openly ask all political parties to stop competitive populism?,” said Raj.

"The PM now asks citizens to reduce fuel consumption. Fine. But why did this wisdom not emerge during massive election campaigns involving thousands of vehicles, endless roadshows, and the transport of lakhs of supporters across states like West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala? That itself would have burnt crores of liters of petrol and diesel. This didn’t occur to you when massive money power was wielded to gain votes there? Citizens are also being advised to avoid foreign travel. But how many Indians can afford international travel today?,” he said.

The MNS chief further pointed out that even the middle class that can afford it is living under constant job insecurity. “Students wish to study abroad because India has not invested deeply enough in higher education over the last decade, nor created enough confidence in domestic institutions. All you seem to be interested in is imposition of Hindi,” he said.

“Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors have been steadily pulling money out of Indian markets. Estimates suggest that nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore has exited over the past few months. The Prime Minister and his Chief Ministers travel to colder climates to cement investment deals. But if they are making those deals with Indian companies, why even go to Switzerland for it? The Prime Minister himself is embarking on another multi-country foreign tour beginning May 15. First cancel these travels and then preach austerity,” he added.