Kalburgi (Karnataka), September 7, 2025 – Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, calling him the “enemy of the country” in the context of the tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods.
Addressing a press conference in Kalburgi, Karnataka, Kharge alleged that Modi’s close ties with Trump have hurt India’s economic and diplomatic standing. “PM Modi and Donald Trump can be friends, but Modi has become the enemy of the country,” he said.
‘Atmosphere of the country has been spoiled’
Kharge accused Modi of aligning with Trump at the cost of national interests. “They ask for votes for each other, but in the process, Modi has compromised India. Together, they have spoiled the atmosphere of the whole country,” he claimed.
He further slammed Trump’s decision to impose tariffs, saying, “Donald Trump has imposed a huge tariff on India. In addition to 50 percent, he has ruined our people. Modi should put the nation first and friendship later.”
Foreign policy and GST criticism
The Congress president urged Modi to stick to India’s decades-old foreign policy of fairness and non-alignment. “Since independence, India has maintained a balanced policy. Modi should continue in the same spirit instead of tilting towards Trump,” Kharge said.
On GST changes, Kharge reiterated that while Congress supports reforms that benefit the poor, the BJP government has misused the tax system. “We had suggested two slabs, but they introduced five and looted people for years. Now, before elections, they are amending GST to save themselves,” he said.
Opposition’s stand on national interest
Kharge also took a dig at Modi over China. “Earlier he claimed no one entered our territory, but now Modi himself has entered China,” he said. He emphasized that the opposition stands united on national interest but will not allow Modi to act arbitrarily.
Damage to India’s international image
The Congress leader alleged that Modi’s proclamation of friendship with Trump has weakened India’s global standing. “By saying ‘Trump is my friend,’ Modi has spoiled India’s position internationally. If India had followed its non-aligned policy, such a crisis would not have come,” Kharge said.
Congress’s Bihar election agenda
Looking ahead to the Bihar elections, Kharge listed the Congress’s key focus areas: unemployment, law and order, women’s safety, scholarships for Dalits and backward classes, fertilizer shortages for farmers, and alleged vote theft.
“We will fight on real issues that affect people’s lives,” Kharge declared.
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