Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of damaging India’s interests by aligning too closely with Donald Trump.
He pledged that Congress would focus on unemployment, farmer distress and social justice issues in upcoming Bihar elections.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump could be friends, could be friends, but alleged that the former has become "an enemy of the nation".
Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, Kharge argued that while Modi and Trump may be personally close, their political alliance came at a heavy cost to India.
"He (Trump) and Modi can be friends, but Modi has become an enemy of the nation. He spoiled the atmosphere," Kharge charged.
He pointed to the impact of Washington’s tariff policies on India, noting that Trump's "huge tariff" destroyed "our people."
Kharge insisted that the Prime Minister should prioritise India’s long-standing policy of neutrality and non-alignment over personal friendships.
"You walk on your ideology and protect the people of the country, because the nation comes first and your friendship is secondary,"
"We raised this issue eight years ago. We said that if there were two slabs, that would benefit poor people, but they introduced four to five slabs and looted people. After the elections approached, they found some difficulties and revised the GST slabs," he claimed.
The Congress chief also criticised Modi’s statement that no Chinese incursion had taken place, remarking that "now Modi himself entered there in China."
While stressing that the opposition remains united on matters of national interest, Kharge warned the Prime Minister against misusing that support: "We are one when it comes to the country. There is no doubt. But it doesn't mean that since we are supporting you, you should do anything arbitrarily. We don't believe in this," he said.
On foreign policy, Kharge accused Modi of undermining India’s global standing by repeatedly invoking his friendship with Trump, citing the “Phir Ek Baar Trump” slogan. He argued that such actions weakened India’s non-aligned stance and diminished its credibility.
"He spoilt India's position by saying, 'Trump is my friend' and 'Phir Ek Baar Trump' (Trump, one more time)," Kharge said.
Looking ahead to the Bihar elections, Kharge listed issues the Congress plans to highlight, including unemployment, farmer distress, women’s safety and scholarship access for Dalits and backward classes. He also alleged that “vote theft” would be a key campaign issue.
Separately, he welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to conduct local body polls with ballot papers. "We had been demanding it. The state government has introduced it in the local body polls. I welcome it," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
