Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid rising oil prices and global uncertainty has sparked a political showdown in the state, with the ruling alliance and the Opposition accusing each other of hypocrisy over fuel-saving measures. 

The controversy intensified after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday travelled by motorcycle from his official residence, Varsha, to Vidhan Bhavan and later to Mantralaya in what he described as a symbolic gesture backing the PM’s message.