Mideast Crisis: Modi’s WFH, Online Classes Call Raises Questions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a roadshow in Somnath in Gujarat on Monday (Image Modi on X)
India’s memory of questionable decisions of demonetisation, GST rollout, and Covid-19 measures weigh down Modi’s call for WFH and online classes.
By MANISH ANAND
New Delhi, May 12, 2026 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a spell of two days has sought India’s collective response to the ongoing Middle East crisis while urging the people not to buy gold, adopt work from home, and switching schools into online modes. Modi made his call to the people during his two speeches, first in Hyderabad on Sunday and another in Vadodara on Monday.
Modi has reasoned that India’s forex reserves outflow could be cut by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. To this end, he has even asked the people to cut down on the consumption of edible oil.
In Vadodara, Modi sought to stress on gravity of the situation by calling the Middle East crisis as most sever challenge in a decade. In the same breath, he added that the outbreak of the Corona virus was a challenge of the century. By plugging the Middle East crisis into the Covid crisis narrative, Modi sought to win the urgency attention of the people.
On a closer look, Modi seems to be betraying signs of a knee-jerk reaction to the Middle East crisis. First, the US-Iran War after weeks of intense fights have already gone into a prolonged spell of ceasefire. So, technically there is no war currently in the Middle East.
Secondly, no other head of the state as yet has compared the Middle East crisis with the challenge posed by the outbreak of the Corona virus. In fact, China is neither asked the people to shift to the work from home mode nor asked schools to go into an online mode. Rather, China reportedly is helping other nations by supplying air turbine fuel and other refined petroleum products.
Modi’s call to the people to shun buying gold also seems to have pressed the panic button on the Dalal Street. The foreign institutional investors reported a net sell of over ₹8500 crores on Monday. The jewellery stocks were hammered, bleeding 10 percent and above.
Ironically, exports of gems and jewellery constitute a large chunk of India’s traded commodities with other nations. With the US, India heavily exports gems and jewellery. Besides, a massive employment banks on the gems and jewellery sector. Thus, if forex outgo takes place in importing gold, India also earns foreign currencies by exporting items made from the imported precious yellow good.
Work from home works, arguably, only for the IT sector. Even the heads of the IT sector are livid at the idea of WFH. A generation of children who were impacted due to school disruptions have reported behavioural changes. Screen addictions and educational outcomes dip have been seen among the children.
Modi’s statements have come out just after the conclusion of the Assembly elections. This takes away the seriousness from his urgings. The people may be tempted to ask — why the BJP leaders were criss-crossing length and breadth of states where polls were held recently in choppers if India had been facing acute oil crisis. The larger question that demands an answer is: what has India been doing for energy security when even China was feverishly buying crude oil in an anticipation of war in the Middle East for over a year.
Modi Draws Parallel With Covid Crisis Amid West Asia Tensions
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FAQs
Why did Narendra Modi ask people to avoid buying gold?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said reducing gold purchases and dependence on imported fossil fuels could help lower pressure on India’s foreign exchange reserves during the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Why is Modi talking about work from home and online classes?
Modi suggested work from home and online schooling as precautionary responses to possible disruptions arising from tensions in the Middle East and concerns over energy security and economic stability.
Why are critics calling Modi’s response a knee-jerk reaction?
Critics argue that the Middle East conflict is currently under a ceasefire phase and that no major global leader, including those in China, has announced measures comparable to Covid-era restrictions like WFH or online classes.
(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author’s own.)
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