New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday hit back at Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “100 per cent under the control” of US President Donald Trump.

Giriraj Singh described Rahul Gandhi as an ‘abodh baalak’ and criticised his comments as irresponsible. He said that Gandhi’s remarks reflected a lack of understanding of national and international issues.

Rahul Gandhi, at an event in Vadodara on Monday, questioned the Prime Minister’s speech in the Lok Sabha. He highlighted what he termed a “conspicuous omission” in the speech — the absence of any direct reference to the United States. According to him, the omission was not accidental but indicative of a deeper concern.

Gandhi claimed that despite speaking for 25 minutes, the Prime Minister avoided mentioning the US and refrained from criticism. He further alleged that PM Modi would be unable to engage in a parliamentary debate on the matter, suggesting that he was “compromised.” Referring to Donald Trump, Gandhi asserted that the Prime Minister was completely under his influence.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Giriraj Singh said, “Rahul Gandhi is like an ‘abodh baalak’. I have said earlier that even during the Covid-19 period, his actions in the country created confusion and provoked people. Today, both the leadership and citizens of India have strong faith in Narendra Modi. We handled the Covid-19 crisis successfully. In our country, fuel prices have not been increased so far.”

“However, I noticed that the Himachal Pradesh government has raised fuel prices. Why is Rahul Gandhi not speaking on that? He keeps making noise on such issues elsewhere; why doesn’t he question the hike there? While the Prime Minister has not increased fuel prices, countries such as the USA, Japan, and Germany have done so — which reflects effective management. That is why I say India is not facing any major problem, as its people have great confidence in PM Modi. The country’s leadership is capable of turning any crisis into an opportunity and tackling challenges directly. The only issue the country faces is the LOP,” he said.

–IANS

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