Congress critiques PM Modi's remarks on global bodies

The Congress on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks in a podcast on the relevance of global organisations, claiming that the PM is clearly going out of his way to keep US President Donald Trump in good humour and "repeating his good friend's chant".

In his interaction with American podcaster and computer scientist Lex Fridman, Modi emphasised the need for synchronisation and collaboration to propel global initiatives forward.

He also addressed the relevance of global organisations like the United Nations, noting that their inability to evolve with the times has sparked a global debate on their relevance.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Mr. Modi clearly is going out of his way to keep Mr. Trump in good humour."

"He says international organisations, from which India has benefited immensely, have become irrelevant.

"This is the US President's language. In fact, it is Mr. Trump who is doing his best to make them irrelevant and now Mr. Modi is repeating 'his good friend's' chant," Ramesh claimed.

Is the WHO not good for India and is the WTO not good for India, he asked.

"Is the Paris Agreement on Climate Change not good for India? Has the UN, inspite of all its weaknesses, not provided for opportunities for Indian peacekeepers abroad?" Ramesh said.

Multilateralism needs reforms but does not deserve wholesale condemnation of the type President Trump and Prime Minister Modi are indulging in, the Congress leader said.

Prime Minister Modi said in the podcast released on Sunday that he shares a bond of mutual trust with Trump and that they connect well because they believe in putting their respective national interests above everything else.

In the podcast, Modi also hailed Trump as a man of courage who took his own decisions and was unwaveringly dedicated to the United States. He said the same spirit was on display when Trump was shot at by a gunman on the election campaign trail last year.

The prime minister said Trump appeared far more prepared than before in his second term.