BENGALURU: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has slammed US President Donald Trump and Congress leaders over their remarks on the Indian economy. “India has been the fastest-growing economy and is the fifth-largest in the globe. Trump must either be blind or ill-informed to designate our economy as ‘dead’, “ the JDS supremo stated in a strongly worded statement.
Hitting out at Congress leaders, who echoed the US President’s views, Gowda stated: “A word of caution to some Opposition leaders who have rejoiced in the statements of Trump and have jumped to be his deluded spokespersons in India. I can understand their frustration, but they should not harm themselves and their parties, and end up in the dustbin of history alongside Trump.”
He said even a small trader or a poor farmer in India, who conducts his business with great dignity, integrity and humanity, can teach many lessons to Trump. “Like everybody else, I too have been surprised by US President Donald Trump’s baseless and ill-tempered remarks on India and the Indian economy. I don’t think modern history has seen another head of state who has been so volatile, uncivil and irresponsible,” the former PM said.
Gowda said Trump has not just behaved badly with India, but with every other country across the world, including his own longstanding allies. “There is something fundamentally wrong with him which reason, diplomacy, or statecraft cannot diagnose and address. It may not be correct to say anything more than this on his ill-tempered nature because it would mean lowering our own standards,” he stated.
The former PM said India has the God-given ability and strength to negotiate all difficulties that come its way and emerge stronger. “I am very happy and proud that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has not compromised our national interest. It has not blinked to Trump’s bullying and has shown that it will never be dictated by threat,” he said.
Gowda said the Modi government has gone the full length to protect the Indian agricultural sector as well as small and medium businesses on which more than half the nation’s population is dependent.
He emphasised that the strong decisions taken by the government will lead to a national resurgence on an unprecedented scale.