Chhagan Bhujbal’s cautious reaction, said – ‘It is difficult to say how far the situation will go in the coming days’

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the countrymen to use less petrol and diesel, postpone the purchase of gold and promote work from home, the discussion has intensified across the country. Meanwhile, Maharashtra government minister Chhagan Bhujbal gave a cautious reaction on this issue and said that it is difficult to say in which direction the global situation will go in the coming days.

Chhagan Bhujbal said that the world is currently going through a period of serious instability and energy crisis. US-Iran tension, situation in West Asia and rising prices of petroleum products have increased pressure on the economy of many countries. He said that the effects of energy crisis are visible in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Japan.

Bhujbal said, “We have studied the situation of many countries of the world. In the past too, huge increase in the prices of petrol and diesel has been seen. But the main reason for the strength with which India stands today is the strategy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.”

He said that earlier India used to import fuel from limited countries only, but now diesel and petroleum products are being purchased from 40 to 45 countries. For this reason, India remains in a relatively better position despite the global crisis.

However, Bhujbal also admitted that maintaining normalcy will not be easy in the times to come. He said, “It is difficult to say where the situation will go in the next few days. There are talks of stopping the Iran-US war, but then the tension increases. There is a situation of uncertainty and confusion in the whole world.”

The minister said that in such times every country needs to take care of itself. He described Prime Minister Modi’s appeal as a responsible and timely step. According to Bhujbal, measures like fuel savings and foreign exchange conservation can help protect the country from potential economic pressures.

Prime Minister Modi had recently appealed to the countrymen to reduce unnecessary petrol and diesel consumption, use public transport more, adopt car pooling and give priority to work from home wherever possible. Apart from this, he also advised to avoid buying gold and traveling abroad for one year.

After this appeal of Modi, the opposition has started cornering the government. Many opposition parties including Congress have called it a failure of the government’s economic policies. However, BJP and its allies are calling it a necessary step taken in the national interest.

Chhagan Bhujbal avoided giving direct response to the opposition’s criticism and said that it is necessary to remain cautious in view of the current global situation. He said that India is still in a better position than many countries and the credit for this goes to the visionary policies of the government.

Amidst the energy crisis and global economic uncertainty, the government is continuously appealing to the people for restrained use of resources. The country’s economic strategy will also depend to a great extent on which direction the international situation takes in the coming days.