‘Trump picked up the phone and said…': In Bhopal, Rahul Gandhi's ‘surrender' jibe at PM Modi

Indian Express

03-06-2025

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, claiming that he had surrendered following a phone call from US President Donald Trump during Operation Sindoor.
Gandhi was speaking in Bhopal during the Congress's Sangathan Srajan Abhiyan (organisation rejuvenation campaign), where he acknowledged the frustration of party leaders who genuinely wanted to fight for the Congress but weren't being heard. He also spoke about leaders making nonsensical statements, warning that 'lame horses' in the organisation would be retired.
'I now know the BJP and RSS people very well. Just put a little pressure on them, give them a slight push, they run away in fear. Trump gave just a signal, picked up the phone and said, 'Modi ji, what are you doing? Narendra, surrender.' Saying 'Yes, sir', Narendra Modi obeyed Trump's signal,' he said.
He told the audience that they may 'remember a time when there was no phone call – when the Seventh Fleet came during the 1971 war.'
'Weapons arrived, an aircraft carrier came. Indira Gandhi said, 'I will do what I have to do.' That is the difference. That's character. All these people are like this. Since the time of Independence, they have a habit of writing surrender letters… Gandhi ji, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel – they were not people who surrendered. They were people who stood up to superpowers,' Gandhi said.
ट्रंप का एक फोन आया और नरेंद्र जी तुरंत surrender हो गए – इतिहास गवाह है, यही BJP-RSS का character है, ये हमेशा झुकते हैं।
भारत ने 1971 में अमेरिका की धमकी के बावजूद पाकिस्तान को तोड़ा था। कांग्रेस के बब्बर शेर और शेरनियां Superpowers से लड़ते हैं, कभी झुकते नहीं। pic.twitter.com/RhdQWdRBtV
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 3, 2025
Gandhi cited the central government's decision to conduct the caste census as another example of when the ruling BJP government caved under pressure.
'Modi ji used to say there are no castes. Then he said there are only four castes. During elections, he suddenly becomes OBC. Gadkari ji made a statement. Mohan Bhagwat made a statement. A little pressure was applied – they completely surrendered. But I know them. Just like they handled women's reservation – they pushed it ten years down the line – the same is happening here. They don't really want to do it. They just said it under pressure. But they don't want to do it because they don't want justice in this country. They want a country of Ambanis and Adanis, a country for billionaires, not a country of social justice,' Gandhi said.
He said the Congress unit of Madhya Pradesh had ample talent but their hands were tied. 'Look, in this state, the Congress ideology, the Congress workers, and the ideological leaders of the Congress – there is no shortage. The room is full of talent capable of defeating the BJP. But your hands are tied. Why are they tied? Because your voice isn't being heard properly within the Congress organisation,' Gandhi said.
'This is our army. They are ready to fight. They are ready to die. In between, a few people keep making nonsensical statements. Some are just frustrated. Some are doing a bit of the BJP's work. But we have to start from somewhere,' Gandhi said.
Gandhi laid emphasis on the district working presidents, saying they are the future leaders of the state. 'Among you, there will be people who work with full strength and heart for the Congress. And there will also be people who are tired or in a bad mood, or under too much stress,' Gandhi said.
Gandhi spoke about the categories of Congress leaders in the state, differentiating them into race horses, wedding horses and lame horses.
'Now we must differentiate between racehorses and wedding horses. Sometimes the Congress Party sends the racehorse to a wedding. And sometimes they put the wedding horse on the racetrack. Then someone whips it from behind, and it just sits down right there. But there is a third category too – the lame horse. So we must identify them. The wedding horse should go to a wedding. The racehorse should be in the race. And the lame one should be retired,' Gandhi said.
Gandhi also criticised the list of new district presidents drafted in Gujarat. 'In Gujarat, we selected new district presidents. Observers came from Delhi, from the AICC. They went to every district with Gujarat leaders, spoke to workers, people, leaders and selected names and sent them to Delhi. I saw both the lists… I saw those two lists – the difference was like night and day. I shouldn't say this, but one list looked like it was made by a senior leader's assistant, and the other had the potential future leadership of Gujarat. That is exactly what we want to do in Madhya Pradesh,' Gandhi said.