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Journalism of Courage
Hours after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar rejected the notion that the PM Modi was endorsing Donald Trump’s re-election bid at the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Houston, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday thanked him for covering up for the prime minister’s ‘incompetence.’
Asking Jaishankar to teach PM Modi a little about diplomacy, Gandhi tweeted, “Thank you Mr. Jaishankar for covering up our PM’s incompetence. His fawning endorsement caused serious problems with the Democrats for India. I hope it gets ironed out with your intervention. While you’re at it, do teach him a little bit about diplomacy.”
In a media interaction in the US, Jaishankar had clarified that the PM was not endorsing Donald Trump’s re-election bid by turning around his own election slogan to ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar.’
“No, he did not say that,” Jaishankar was quoted by news agency PTI when asked about the implication of the prime minister purportedly using the slogan in his Houston address.
“I think, please, look very carefully at what the prime minister said. My recollection of what the prime minister said was that candidate Trump had used this (“Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar”). So PM is talking about the past. I don’t think we should, honestly, misinterpret what was said. I don’t think you’re doing a good service to anybody,” Jaishankar said in response to the question.
Addressing the Indian diaspora in Texas during the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event, PM Modi hailed Trump saying he admires him for his “sense of leadership, a passion for America, a concern for every American and a strong resolve to make America great again”. “The words of candidate Trump, ‘Abki Baar Trump sarkar’, rang loud and clear. And his celebration of Diwali in the White House lit up millions of faces with joy and appreciation,” Modi had said while introducing Trump. This was the first time that both the leaders were sharing the stage together.
PM Modi’s remarks came under sharp criticism from Congress who accused him of violating India’s foreign policy of not interfering in the domestic elections of another country. In a series of tweets, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma had said Modi was in the US as India’s prime minister and not a star campaigner in the US elections.
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