Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge compares Modi and Trump's 'destruction'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump share a similarity in “destruction,” adding that this is why they keep praising each other. Kharge's remarks came a day after Trump made a surprise live audio call to US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was attending an event in New Delhi, and told him that he (Trump) “loves” both PM Modi and India. Gor placed the call on speaker, and the conversation was recorded on video, which later went viral on social media. "When people share similar traits—one is destroying the world, while the other is destroying the country- that is the very similarity between the two. That is why they praise each other. As the saying goes: 'You praise me, and I will praise you,' so this is their mutual appreciation," Kharge told ANI. In his surprise live audio call, Trump spoke to US ambassador Gor, who was attending the US Embassy’s celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence, in New Delhi. Trump said, “I just want to say hello to everybody. I love the Prime Minister. Modi is great. He’s my friend." He added that ties between the US and India had “never been closer,” asserting that India could “count on” him and the United States, and stated that the US was “doing well” with a record economy and stock market. Trump also reiterated his strong support for PM Modi, calling himself a “big, big fan” of the prime minister. Addressing his secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is currently on a visit to India for the Quad foreign ministers’ summit, Trump praised him as “the greatest,” saying he would “go down as the greatest secretary of state in US history,” and asked him to convey his greetings to PM Modi. External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Rubio will be joined by their Australian and Japanese counterparts for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled for Tuesday.