NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump, stating they share a commonality in their approach to “destruction.” He commented that this shared trait explains their mutual praise for each other.
Kharge’s remarks followed a surprise live audio call from Trump to US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, during an event in New Delhi. In the call, Trump expressed his fondness for both Modi and India, stating, “I love the prime minister. Modi is great. He’s my friend.” This conversation was broadcast on speaker and later circulated widely on social media.
Kharge told ANI, “When people share similar traits—one is destroying the world, while the other is destroying the country—that is the very similarity between the two. That is why they praise each other. As the saying goes: ‘You praise me, and I will praise you,’ so this is their mutual appreciation.”
During the event commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, Trump highlighted that US-India relations had “never been closer,” asserting that India could “count on” him and the United States, while also noting the strong performance of the US economy and stock market.
Additionally, Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was attending the same event, claiming he would “go down as the greatest secretary of state in US history.” He tasked Rubio with delivering greetings to Prime Minister Modi.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Rubio will meet with their Australian and Japanese counterparts for the Quad foreign ministers’ summit scheduled for Tuesday.
