Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi following US President Donald Trump’s recent controversial remarks that referred to certain countries, including India, as “hellholes.” In a post shared on X, Kharge expressed concern over the Indian government’s silence on the issue, questioning whether Modi was “scared.”
“Modi ji’s dear friend, ‘Namaste Trump,’ has made disparaging remarks about India. Modi ji remains completely silent on these absurd comments,” Kharge wrote. He highlighted a brief response from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in which a spokesperson stated, “That is where I leave it.” Kharge then asked, “Narendra Modi ji, what are you scared of?”
The Congress leader emphasized the significant contributions of Indian nationals in the United States and questioned why the Indian government has not raised this issue diplomatically at higher levels. “Indians have played a vital role in America’s success. What is stopping us from raising this at the highest levels of the American government?” he stated.
Kharge escalated his criticism by linking the comments to broader India-US relations, mentioning trade tensions and earlier diplomatic challenges. He alleged that the government has repeatedly failed to protect India’s interests, citing examples such as the “skewed Indo-US trade deal framework” and Modi’s responses to previous comments made by Trump, including a remark that “BRICS is dead.”
He urged PM Modi to address the situation despite the ongoing election campaign, expressing hope that Modi would respond to what he termed the “intimidation and indignation of 140 crore Indians.” Kharge’s remarks come after Trump reshared an anti-immigration post on his platform Truth Social, which included derogatory descriptions of India and China.
In the post, Trump stated, “A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet.” He further claimed that integration from previous waves of European immigration had ended, suggesting that the United States has shifted from being a “melting pot” to a “cash in pot.”
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged awareness of the reports but declined to provide further details, stating, “We have seen some reports. That’s where I leave it.”
