PM Modi 'smiling' when Trump announced tariffs on India, says Congress in sharp attack on BJP

Pawan Khera alleged that Trump was forcing India to buy F-35 fighter jets, which were termed as junk by American President's ally Elon Musk.

In a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government, Congress leader Pawan Khera accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inaction even as US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on India during the bilateral meeting between the two countries last week.

Khera also said PM Modi was not invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Trump.

"PM Modi went to the US uninvited. He was not invited to President Donald Trump's swearing-in ceremony, but he went there anyway. US President Donald Trump said he would impose reciprocal tariffs, but he (PM Modi) was just smiling...You (PM Modi) have come (from the US) after hearing Trump's threat. US President Donald Trump said that he would end BRICS, but he (PM Modi) was still smiling," the Congress leader said during a press conference.

In addition, Khera alleged that Trump was forcing India to buy F-35 fighter jets, which were termed as junk by American President's ally Elon Musk.

"America's Adani, Elon Musk called F-35 fighter jets junk. The same is being imposed on India, and he (PM Modi) was just smiling...This happened in the US and they are telling us that we took money from US aid to destabilise them."

Khera also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of being in cahoots with USAID to defeat the Congress-led UPA government before 2014. The Congress leader also asked if US AID was behind Smriti Irani's protests against the UPA government.

"... Selectively, they are saying that the Congress government took money from foreign funding agencies. When Smriti Irani was the brand ambassador of USAID and used to protest on the roads, was USAID behind those protests?

"Social activist Anna Hazare also launched a protest, after which our government lost the elections, and then he went to America and held road shows there. Everyone knows that he used to receive money from the Ford Foundation and RSS was also involved in it."