‘Even a small trader in India can teach many lessons to Trump’: Ex-PM Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: Taking a strong objection to the statement of US President Donald Trump’s ‘dead economy’ remark on India, former Prime Minister and JD-S Rajya Sabha member H.D. Deve Gowda said that “even a small trader and a poor farmer in India, who conducts his business with great dignity, integrity and humanity, can teach many lessons to Mr. Trump”.
In a statement on Friday, the former Prime Minister said: “Like everybody else, I too have been surprised by US President Mr. 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.
“Mr. Trump has not just behaved badly with India, but with every other country across the world. He has not spared 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. Even a small trader and a poor farmer in India, who conducts his business with great dignity, integrity and humanity, can teach many lessons to Mr. Trump,” Deve Gowda emphasised.
“India is a sovereign nation that is diverse and democratic. Ever since Independence, it has always acted in supreme national interest. It has the God-given ability and strength to negotiate all difficulties that come its way and emerge stronger,” he noted.
“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 Mr. Trump’s bullying and has shown that it will never be dictated by threat. On the contrary, the Narendra 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. The firm stand that the Narendra Modi government has taken will lead to a national resurgence of an unprecedented scale,” Deve Gowda stated.
The former Prime Minister further said that India has been the fastest growing economy. Mr. Trump must either be blind or ill-informed to designate our economy as ‘dead’.
“A word of caution to some Opposition leaders who have rejoiced the statements of Mr. 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 very soon in the dustbin of history along side Mr. Trump,” Deve Gowda said.