CHANDIGARH, 12.05.26-Former Chandigarh Municipal Councillor Shakti Prakash Devshali has strongly condemned Congress's attacks on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's appeals for restraint in the national interest—including calls for fuel conservation, cutting unnecessary expenses, and postponing gold purchases. He described it not only as unfortunate but as the height of political hypocrisy, raising serious questions about the Congress party and its leaders' political memory. When the country faces economic, strategic, or global instability, appealing to the public for restraint, sacrifice, and responsibility is the duty of any accountable leadership.

He stated that Congress must not forget history. Jawaharlal Nehru too appealed to the public for sacrifice and responsibility during crises, and during the food shortages of the 1950s, he urged citizens to skip one meal a week. Thus, the Prime Minister's call today for restraint in the national interest is neither unusual nor undemocratic. Lal Bahadur Shastri, during the difficult times of 1965, called upon countrymen to observe one day of fasting per week and skip one meal. This is the true tradition of responsible leadership.

Reminding Rahul Gandhi of his grandmother, Devshali said that Indira Gandhi in 1967 appealed to people not to buy gold "in any form" and to practice "national discipline" in gold consumption in the country. Moreover, for Bangladesh refugee relief, Indira Gandhi imposed a 5 paise surcharge on postal services and related items from 1971 to 1973. This clearly shows that Congress governments too have repeatedly sought financial contributions from the public during national and humanitarian crises.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram openly appealed to countrymen in 2013 not to buy gold. This appeal was part of the economic policy of the very government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Devshali said that the same Congress—whose leaders have, across different eras, urged the public to save food, contribute economically, avoid buying gold, and make sacrifices during national crises—is now shedding crocodile tears over the Prime Minister's appeal. Congress must abandon short-term politics on national interest issues and stop its politics of double standards.