Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday backed US President Donald Trump's remarks on the Indian economy, saying that except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman know that India is a "dead economy." He also alleged that the BJP-led government has destroyed India's economic, defence, and foreign policies.
Rahul Gandhi's remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs and penalties on India and called India and Russia "dead economies".
Glad Trump stated facts: Rahul Gandhi
Speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, on Trump's dead economy remark, the Congress MP said, "Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact... The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy."
Gandhi alleged that the BJP has destroyed the Indian economy in order to help billionaire Gautam Adani. "The External Affairs Minister gives a speech that we have a genius foreign policy. On one hand, the US is abusing you, and on the other hand, China is after, and thirdly, when you send delegations across the globe, then no country condemns Pakistan. How are they running the country? They don't know how to run the country," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also claimed that a trade deal with the US will happen and Trump will define it, while Prime Minister Modi will do what the American President tells him to do. "PM Modi works only for one person- Adani. This (India-US trade) deal will take place, and PM Modi will do exactly what Trump says. The main issue sitting in front of India today is that the Govt has destroyed our economic, defence and foreign policy. They are running this country into the ground," he said.
Why is PM Modi unable to give an answer? Rahul Gandhi
The Congress MP raised sharp questions about the government's silence in response to Trump's multiple claims. "The main question is, Trump has claimed 30-32 times that he did a ceasefire. He also said that 5 Indian jets have fallen. Trump now says that he will impose 25% tariffs. Why is PM Modi not able to give an answer? What is the actual reason? Who has the control in his hands?" Rahul Gandhi asked.
Trump's fresh attack on India-Russia ties
A day after announcing tariffs on imports from India, President Trump hit out at New Delhi and Russia over the close ties and high trade between the two countries. Hitting out at India-Russia ties, Trump has said he does not care about New Delhi's dealings with Moscow and that the two "can take their dead economies down together, for all I care."
Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on imports from India. Despite multiple rounds of discussions, the two countries have not reached an interim trade agreement. The tariffs will be imposed starting August 1, he further stated.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that the US has done "very little business" with India due to its "very high" tariffs, calling them "among the highest in the World."
"I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India; their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way," he said in a post on Truth Social.
Also Read: Trump's fresh attack on India-Russia ties: 'They can take their dead economies down together'
Also Read: 'We're negotiating with them right now': Trump after declaring 25% tariff plus penalty on India
