Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Alok Kumar Dubey on Tuesday criticised the appeal to people to light lamps on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, saying it sought to divert attention from issues affecting ordinary citizens.
Dubey said Bihar was facing severe floods, with people struggling to protect their lives and livelihoods, while the public was being urged to celebrate the Prime Minister’s birthday by lighting lamps.
“We do not have enough cooking oil for our kitchens, and we are being asked to light lamps. People will not waste oil; they will use it to cook vegetables and feed their families,” Dubey said.
He said inflation had made essential commodities such as cooking oil and vegetables increasingly difficult for families to afford, while unemployment continued to trouble the youth. At such a time, he said, symbolic celebrations should not overshadow issues directly affecting people’s lives.
Dubey said families struggling to meet household expenses needed affordable essentials, education for their children and employment opportunities for young people. He also criticised the government for allegedly failing to give adequate attention to people affected by floods in Bihar.
“The people do not need symbolic light, but real light in their homes,” he said, demanding relief from inflation, employment opportunities, support for farmers and the poor, and stronger economic conditions.
Dubey said the government should address the everyday concerns of millions of families instead of focusing only on birthday celebrations. “A lamp has meaning only when the poor person’s kitchen fire has not gone out,” he said.