A video of US President Donald Trump has sparked fresh political controversy in the country on Wednesday. In the video, Trump can be seen mimicking his conversational manner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has handed the main opposition party, Congress, a new weapon against the BJP government at the centre. The opposition camp has intensified its attack on the government regarding New Delhi's relations with Washington, particularly over trade and tariff policies.
Speaking at a meeting of House Republican members, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Modi had personally appealed to him regarding the high tariffs imposed on India for purchasing oil from Russia. Trump said, "Prime Minister Modi came to meet me." Trump claimed that Modi had asked the US President, 'Sir, may I meet with you?' The US President tried to indicate through gestures how 'helpless' the Indian Prime Minister's situation was, doing this twice this week. However, a tone of tension was evident in Trump's own statement.
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Trump said, 'Prime Minister Modi is not happy with the high tariffs imposed on India, particularly regarding the additional tariffs imposed on India's oil imports from Russia.' Nevertheless, Trump emphatically stated that their personal relationship remains quite strong and that India has significantly reduced its oil purchases from Russia.
According to Trump's claim, India has already substantially reduced its Russian oil imports due to pressure from Washington. However, he simultaneously said, "As a result, India now has to pay much higher tariffs, which is a cause of discomfort for Prime Minister Modi."
Currently, the US administration has imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian goods, of which 25 per cent 'punitive tariffs' have been directly added in connection with India's oil purchases from Russia. This measure is primarily part of the increasing pressure on countries that maintain fuel trade with Moscow. Trump has previously warned that additional penalties or tariffs could be imposed on India if Russian oil imports are not reduced further.
Alongside trade tensions, the issue of defence cooperation also came up in Trump's statement. Regarding the long-pending Apache helicopter supply, he said, "India has been waiting for these helicopters for many years. Modi himself has raised this issue."
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Following Trump's comments about Modi, the Congress leadership made sharp criticisms. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted a video on his X handle and said to Modi, "Understand the difference, Sir ji!" Along with this comment, he shared an old video of his own, where a comparison is drawn between the leadership of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the 1971 war and the current government. Rahul alleges that Modi allegedly 'surrendered' after a phone call from Trump during the India-Pakistan military conflict in May last year. In contrast, he cited Indira Gandhi's example, saying that in 1971, despite the deployment of the US Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal, she did not bow to Washington's pressure.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh made this attack even more forceful. He also shared Trump's comments on social media, saying, "From Namaste Trump to Howdy Modi, then Donald Bhai, now this is the outcome. What's next?"
