Barely a day after PM was brimming with pride in Kolkata over the fact that BJP now governed all states “from Gangotri to Gangasagar”, his messaging shifted from triumph to caution. Speaking in Hyderabad on May 10 after swearing in the first BJP govt in Bengal the previous day, Modi shifted into governance mode, pointing to the tougher economic times ahead.
Against the backdrop of high imported energy costs in the context of the Iran-US-Israel war (now in a fragile ceasefire), Modi began preparing the people for what is to come. He asked people to use public transport or car-pools, shift to electric vehicles, take fewer vacations abroad, and reduce gold purchases. He urged farmers to use less chemical fertilisers, and companies to allow more employees to work from home.
