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New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after former US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan using trade. The party said, “The self-styled but now thoroughly shrunken and deeply exposed 56-inch chest is still quiet.”Addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Modi is “scared of Donald Trump” after the former US President once again claimed credit for ending hostilities between India and Pakistan. “Modi is scared of Donald Trump. The US President has said at least 50 times that he scared Narendra Modi and stopped ‘Operation Sindoor’. Yet, not a single word has come from Modi’s mouth. Trump is insulting our Prime Minister almost every day, going from country to country claiming that Narendra Modi bowed before him, that he made him surrender. And still, Modi remains silent,” Rahul said during his maiden election rally in the state. Drawing a comparison with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Rahul said, “In 1971, during the Bangladesh war, Indira Gandhi clearly told the American President, ‘We are not afraid of you.’ That’s what real leadership looks like. Trump is talking about our air defences, and our Prime Minister cannot even say, ‘No, that’s not true. Trump, you are lying.’” Rahul challenged Modi to respond publicly: “When Modi visits Bihar next, he should say Trump is lying. A leader who cannot even muster the courage to say that Trump is lying can never bring prosperity or development to Bihar.” Later, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rahul said, “Trump is insulting Modi in country after country. The latest is South Korea. (1) He repeated that he used trade to frighten Modi into stopping Operation Sindoor. (2) He said seven planes were shot down. Don’t be scared, Modi-ji — find the courage to respond.” Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh also shared video clips of Trump’s remarks in Japan and South Korea, where the former US President reiterated that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict using trade. “He has said it mid-flight and on land. Now President Trump has said it again, while addressing business leaders in Japan on Tuesday evening. No wonder his good friend in New Delhi no longer wants to hug him,” Jairam said. Trump had said in Japan: “A lot of the wars that I stopped were because of tariffs. And frankly, I did a great service to the world because of tariffs, because of trade. If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it. Seven planes were shot down, two big nuclear powers. I said to Prime Minister Modi, and I said to the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal over in Pakistan, we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting.”
