Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s stance on the escalating West Asia crisis and the US decision on Russian oil supplies, calling US President Donald Trump a “dictator” and alleging that PM Modi was acting like his “gulam” (slave).
Addressing a gathering after launching development projects worth Rs 1,069 crore in Karnataka’s Chittapur, Kharge accused the Modi government of surrendering India’s strategic autonomy to Washington amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
“He (Trump) is a dictator. Modi is his gulam (slave),” Kharge said, referring to the United States’ recent announcement that it had given a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to buy Russian oil that is already in transit.
Kharge alleged that the move showed India was acting under American pressure rather than following an independent foreign policy. “Will you accept this diktat? The Congress party got the country’s freedom from the British… Did you come to power to take the country to slavery?” he asked.
PM CONTROLLED BY TRUMP: KHARGE
The Congress chief went further, claiming that Prime Minister Modi was being “controlled” by Trump using the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
“Using it Trump has caught hold of Modi’s nose… fearing the Epstein files, Modi has bowed his head down and his mouth is shut,” Kharge alleged.
The Union government, however, has rejected any reference to Modi in the Epstein files, calling such claims “little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal that deserves to be dismissed with the utmost contempt.”
CRITICISM OVER RUSSIAN OIL ‘PERMISSION’
Kharge’s remarks came amid a political row over comments by US officials that Washington had allowed India to buy Russian oil already floating on waterways in order to ease global supply disruptions during the ongoing West Asia crisis.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US had agreed to let India purchase Russian oil already at sea to “ease the temporary gap of oil around the world.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright also said Washington had told its “friends in India” to refine the oil and move it quickly into global markets.
The government took exception to the remark and was quick to reject the charge, saying India has never needed permission from any country to buy Russian oil and that the waiver only removes temporary friction in supply.
Meanwhile, the remark triggered a row, with the Congress accusing the Modi government of being “cowardly and compromised” over the issue. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said Bessent’s remarks amounted to a certificate showing that the government was faithfully following President Trump’s orders.
CONCERNS OVER MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised the United States over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and warned that targeting leaders of sovereign nations could destabilise global peace.
“If the leader of a country is killed, will that country and the world be safe? Think about it,” he said.
He also referred to the recent sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean by a US submarine, questioning the Modi government’s response and asking what had happened to the prime minister’s warnings to countries threatening India.
FARMERS, TRADE DEAL CONCERNS
Kharge also attacked the government over trade negotiations with the US, claiming India had been forced into agreements that hurt farmers.
“Sixty-five per cent of our farmers depend on agriculture, while it is three per cent in America. What will happen to our farmers? With friendship with such people, you are destroying our country and pushing it to slavery,” he said.
He further alleged that earlier governments purchased oil from multiple countries such as Russia, Iran and Venezuela depending on price, but now purchases were being influenced by American pressure.
OTHER OPPOSITION LEADERS RAISE SIMILAR QUESTIONS
Kharge’s criticism comes as other opposition leaders have also questioned the government’s approach to the West Asia conflict.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut wrote in his weekly column that the US and Israel were behaving like “global bullies”, while “big countries like India, which boast of bravery, are acting like their agents.”
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also urged Prime Minister Modi to “break his silence” on the conflict and ask Trump to stop the war, questioning whether India had “mortgaged” its sovereignty to the US.
The West Asia crisis has intensified global geopolitical tensions and disrupted energy markets, while the sinking of the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena and the killing of Iranian leaders have further escalated the situation.
Kharge maintained that India’s foreign policy under the PM Modi-led government had weakened the country’s global standing.
“Earlier, the world respected India. The Non-Aligned Movement under Jawaharlal Nehru stood for world peace,” he said, adding that the current government had failed to maintain balanced relations with major global powers.
– Ends
(With inputs from PTI)
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