BJP, Cong lock horns over Howdy event

The BJP on Monday hailed the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston as a “historic day in world politics” while the Congress criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for violating the standard foreign policy norms by “actively campaigning” for US President Donald Trump.

BJP President and Home Minister Amit Shah led other senior party leaders and Cabinet ministers in projecting the Houston event as a milestone, leaving the footprint of a stronger India on the world map.

“A historic day in world politics! Leaders of the two most powerful democracies shared their ideas & dreams for a prosperous world together in a way that one has never seen before. #HowdyModi was unprecedented. It has left an indelible footprint of a stronger India on world map,” Amit Shah tweeted.

In a reference to Modi’s attack on Pakistan over the issue of terrorism, he said the message to the world is loud and clear that the “new India” will leave no stone unturned to keep the country safe and united.

Thanks to Modi’s leadership, the entire world today stands firmly with India in its decisive fight against the menace of terrorism, Shah said, asserting that the Prime Minister’s popularity has soared across the globe. It is a recognition of the people of India. The grand event is a testimony of India’s power under Modi, he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the event in Houston has reignited shared Indian-American dreams and their bright futures. “The oldest and largest democracies joined hands today giving us hope and a promising future. It was history in the making,” he said.

Congress downplays it

The Congress, at the same time, said it was not in the interest of the country to support Trump’s re-election and the PM’s exhortation that a bki baar Trump sarkar (this time, Trump government) at a public event was against foreign policy norms. “We have a strategic partnership between India and the US which is bipartisan, which we fully endorse. But, there is a time-honoured convention of India’s foreign policy that when we engage with the foreign governments or the President or Prime Minister when on foreign soil, we do not take part in the domestic electoral politics. Prime Minister should have honoured that,” said Congress leader Anand Sharma. Former Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry and senior Congress MP from Patiala Preneet Kaur said the PM’s speech is a deviation from the foreign policy of the country.

“This was not the policy when we were in power. Foreign policy relationship is a steady ongoing process regardless of the government in power. It is one of the ministries that does not change its basic policies. I suppose changes come through whoever is in power and how they perceive it. If it is for the betterment of Indo-American relationship and the economic improvement then it is ok. We have to see how it pans out,” the veteran politician said. The Congress also hailed the US House Majority Leader’s invoking of Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech at the event. The party said that Modi should also have shed his aversion to the India’s first Prime Minister and endorsed what the American leader has said.

COMMENT NOW