Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, alleging that their close ties were adversely affecting both India and global stability.
Speaking at a public event, Kharge said that while the two leaders frequently refer to each other as friends, their relationship was, in his view, causing harm rather than benefit. He alleged that the outcome of their association was being felt by ordinary citizens in India, particularly in the form of rising fuel prices. He claimed that oil, diesel and petrol prices would not have increased to the same extent if certain international decisions linked to Trump had not taken place.
Kharge also accused the Prime Minister of weakening India’s traditional foreign policy approach due to his personal rapport with the US President. He said India had earlier followed a neutral or non-aligned foreign policy, which he credited with helping the country maintain balanced relations globally during earlier eras.
According to Kharge, this approach has been altered under the current government, and he argued that India now projects personal friendships with world leaders rather than maintaining strategic neutrality. He said this shift, in his view, had complicated India’s position internationally and undermined its diplomatic flexibility.
The Congress leader further stated that attempts to maintain close personal ties with multiple global leaders had ultimately not served India’s interests, and he suggested that this approach had created challenges for the country rather than strengthening its global standing.
