Congress blasts Modi for Fridman podcast, says he’s speaking Trump’s language

The Congress has torn into Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his interaction with American podcaster and computer scientist Lex Fridman, saying that at a time when the country is facing grave challenges and the neighbourhood is volatile, there should be “minimum self-glorification and maximum governance”.

In the over three-hour-long interaction, Modi opened up on a host of foreign affairs issues and also touched upon various aspects of his life journey.

The Congress also attacked Modi over his remarks on the relevance of global organisations, claiming that the prime minister was clearly going out of his way to keep US President Donald Trump in good humour and “repeating his good friend’s chant”.

Also read: No limit to 'hypo(d)crisy': Congress slams PM Modi over his podcast

‘Economy facing challenges, world order unstable’

“Almost a year ago, He [Modi] said He was non-biological. Now He says that he believes in the 1+1 theory: 1 in Modi and the other 1 is divine,” Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

“He is saying these things when the economy is facing grave challenges, our neighbourhood is volatile and the world order is becoming unstable. There should be minimum self-glorification and maximum governance,” he said.

‘Keeping Trump in good humour’

In his interaction with Fridman, Modi also emphasised the need for synchronisation and collaboration to propel global initiatives forward. He addressed the relevance of global organisations like the United Nations, noting that their inability to evolve with the times has sparked a global debate on their relevance.

“Mr. Modi clearly is going out of his way to keep Mr. Trump in good humour. He says international organisations, from which India has benefited immensely, have become irrelevant. This is the US President’s language. In fact, it is Mr. Trump who is doing his best to make them irrelevant and now Mr. Modi is repeating ‘his good friend’s’ chant,” Ramesh wrote.

Also read: PM Modi hails EC, says global community should study its working

Is the WHO not good for India and is the WTO not good for India, he asked. “Is the Paris Agreement on Climate Change not good for India? Has the UN, in spite of all its weaknesses, not provided for opportunities for Indian peacekeepers abroad?” Ramesh wrote.

Multilateralism needs reforms but does not deserve wholesale condemnation of the type President Trump and Prime Minister Modi are indulging in, the Congress leader asked.

Modi’s ‘bond’ with Trump

Modi said in the podcast released on Sunday (March 16) that he shares a bond of mutual trust with Trump and that they connect well because they believe in putting their respective national interests above everything else.

In the podcast, Modi also hailed Trump as a man of courage who took his own decisions and was unwaveringly dedicated to the United States. He said the same spirit was on display when Trump was shot at by a gunman on the election campaign trail last year.

The prime minister said Trump appeared far more prepared than before in his second term.

Also read: Lex Fridman podcast: PM Modi opens up on Gujarat riots, ties with China, Pakistan

Praise for RSS, Gandhi’s legacy

During the podcast, Modi also praised the RSS for instilling “patriotic values” in him, lauded Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and described himself as a peacemaker who has nudged both Russian and Ukrainian leaders to come to the negotiating table.

In the post on Sunday night, Ramesh said there is no limit to Modi’s “hypo(d)crisy” as he has not faced a press conference in India yet but has found comfort in a US podcaster.

He also hit out at the PM for saying “criticism is the soul of democracy” and accused him of “demolishing” every institution that can hold his government accountable and going after critics “with a vengeance”.

(With agency inputs)