New Delhi:Opposition leaders in India have turned the Democrats' gains in the US midterm elections into a political jibe against the BJP, drawing parallels between US President Donald Trump's setback and the electoral prospects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP, however, brushed aside the comparisons, responding with a slogan stating that the lotus would remain even as US presidents change.
The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and AIMIM cited the American results to argue that voters were pushing back against right-wing political forces. Congress MP Pawan Khera likened Trump to Modi, saying the US President was the American equivalent of India's Prime Minister.
"Why did this happen to Trump? In America, he is America's Modi. And the one here is India's Trump," Khera said, adding that a similar electoral outcome would eventually unfold in India.
Congress leader Priyanka Kakkar, who recently joined the party after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party, sharpened the attack with a post on X. Referring to the BJP's election symbol, she wrote, "Today POTUS. Tomorrow LOTUS." Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also said that "change is in the air", while party leaders amplified the slogan.
Congress MP Kumari Selja said the results demonstrated that voters in democracies eventually respond to centralised authority. She suggested that a similar political shift could take place in India, arguing that no leader could remain beyond the people's verdict.
Congress Likens US Politics To 'One Nation, One Election' Policy
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also linked the US political developments to the Centre's proposed 'One Nation, One Election' policy. In a social media post, he alleged that Modi wanted simultaneous elections because he feared facing a midterm-style setback in state Assembly polls.
In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shared an AI-generated video depicting Trump being dumped into a bin labelled "Hazardous Waste".
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi invoked the election of Muslim candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the US Senate from Michigan to target both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections scheduled for next year. He criticised remarks and political stereotypes surrounding the name 'Abdul', arguing that the American result showed how a candidate from the community could secure electoral success.
BJP Gives Catchy Response To Opposition
The BJP rejected the Opposition's interpretation of the US results and responded with a counter-slogan. National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari shared an image showing the succession of US presidents since Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, captioning it: "POTUS can come and go. LOTUS wohi rahega."
