Overview
- Speaking in Kalaburagi on March 8, Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being subservient to U.S. President Donald Trump and denounced the government's foreign policy.
- Kharge alleged Trump is leveraging Jeffrey Epstein case materials to control Modi, a claim the Union government has previously dismissed as baseless and contemptible.
- He pointed to Washington's 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to handle Russian oil already at sea, citing U.S. officials' remarks, while the Indian government said it needs no permission and called the move a temporary facilitation.
- He criticized U.S. conduct in West Asia, referring to the reported killing of Iran's supreme leader and claims that a U.S. submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, framing these as violations of international norms.
- Linking foreign policy to domestic costs, Kharge warned that trade terms and tariff limits risk harming farmers and accused Modi of prioritizing electioneering over addressing global developments.