Kharge flays Modi for not taking on ‘friend’ Trump over deportation
The reference was to the US authorities’ move to handcuff and chain 104 Indians, males and females, who were sent back to India in a military plane
Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not questioning President Donald Trump over the way Indians staying illegally in the US were deported.
Modi should have done this if Trump was indeed his “old friend”, Kharge told the media at Kalaburagi in Karnataka.
Modi and Trump
"Modi himself has claimed that he has been conversing with his 'old friend' (Trump), which he says will benefit the country,” said the veteran Congress leader.
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“But if they were indeed close friends, Modi should have asked Trump over the phone not to deport Indian migrant labourers in such a manner."
The reference was to the US authorities’ widely condemned move to handcuff and chain the 104 Indians, males and females, who were sent back to India in an American military plane.
Kharge on Jaishankar
Modi will pay a two-day working visit to the US starting on Wednesday and hold a meeting with Trump.
"Modi did not receive an invitation initially. However, external affairs minister S Jaishankar went to the US and made arrangements, after which Modi received an invitation and is now visiting," said Kharge.
Also Read: Indians deported from US: Punjab police lodge 8 FIRs against fraudulent agents
‘Worse than garbage’
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha alleged that Indian migrants were brought back to India in a cargo plane and "treated worse than garbage".
Modi did not ask Trump to send these migrants on a passenger flight, nor did he arrange one from India, which proves that his claim of a close friendship was false, Kharge said.
He added that while personal friendships were fine, it was more important for countries to maintain friendly relations. "Modi speaks with confidence, but he also has a habit of lying. Hence, he will not get good results," said Kharge.