New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya on Thursday lashed out at Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his "PM Modi frightened of Trump" remarks, saying that the US president wouldn't publicly praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get his attention if this was the case.
"If Prime Minister Modi were afraid of Donald Trump, then Trump wouldn't be publicly saying 'Modi is a great man' every few days just to get his attention," Malviya posted on X.
Intensifying his attack, the BJP leader claimed that Congress MP Gandhi should look at his party's history that "compromised India's interest to please foreign powers".
"Rahul Gandhi, given your family's record and your party's history, it's no surprise you cannot grasp what 'India First' truly means. You assume, as your family did, that every Prime Minister compromises India's interests to please foreign powers. But wake up. This is Modi's India, not Rajiv's, where India's interests are never up for barter," Malviya added.
He further claimed that it was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, who gave up India's recognition of Tibet, which brought the Chinese to India's doorstep. He also criticised former PM Indira Gandhi for "backing out" from Israel's proposal to strike at Pakistan's "fledgling nuclear facilities" in 1983.
"Jawaharlal Nehru: Gave up India's recognition of Tibet, erasing the buffer that kept China at bay and brought the Chinese right to our doorstep. When they struck in 1962, Nehru meekly surrendered territory and pride alike. Indira Gandhi: In 1983, Israel had proposed a joint preemptive strike on Pakistan's fledgling nuclear facilities. The Indian Armed Forces were fully on board. But at the eleventh hour, Indira Gandhi backed out -- under whose pressure? Within a few years, Pakistan had the bomb, and ever since, it has bled India through cross-border terrorism under nuclear blackmail," Malviya said.
He alleged that former PM Rajiv Gandhi ensured that the main accused in the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy was "flown out of India".
"Rajiv Gandhi: Within days of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Rajiv Gandhi personally ensured the main accused was flown out of India. Under whose orders? Or in exchange for what?" Malviya said.
"Manmohan Singh: The list is endless, for this was the Sonia Gandhi era. But one incident says it all. After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Condoleezza Rice issued a warning and Manmohan Singh promptly buckled, letting Pakistan walk free. A few months later, he was ready to negotiate away India's interests until public outrage forced him to retreat. That was what being afraid of the US really looked like or perhaps there were "personal interests" involved. Who knows?" he added.
His remarks come after Gandhi today launched a scathing attack on PM Modi, alleging that he is "frightened" of Donald Trump, after the US President claimed that India had assured him of stopping the purchase of oil from Russia. He objected to Donald Trump's claim and listed allegations against the Union Government to bolster his point.
"PM Modi is frightened of Trump," Rahul Gandhi said as he listed recent incidents, "1.(PM Modi) Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. 2. Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. 3. Cancelled the Finance Minister's visit to America. 4. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. 5. Doesn't contradict him on Operation Sindoor," he posted on X.
This comes after the US President on Wednesday (local time) said that PM Modi had assured him that India would stop purchasing oil from Russia, describing it as "a big step" in efforts to increase global pressure on Moscow.
Trump made the remarks during a joint news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel at the Oval Office, where the two highlighted the administration's efforts to curb violent crime.
Responding to ANI's question on whether he viewed India as a reliable partner, Trump said, "Yeah, sure. He's (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing.
Trump also criticised India's previous oil imports from Russia, stating, "We were not happy with him buying oil from Russia, because that lets Russia continue on with this ridiculous war, where they've lost a million and a half people, by the way. Russia has lost a million and a half people, soldiers mostly."
As this happened, India on Thursday responded to comments made by US President Donald Trump about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to halt Russian oil purchases, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers.
Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions."
"Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he added.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)
