Congress uses Bollywood barbs to target PM Modi over US diplomacy

In a flourish of filmi flair and political sarcasm, the Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, borrowing heavily from the golden age of Bollywood to lampoon what it portrayed as a diplomatic misstep with the United States.

The jibe followed remarks by US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, who claimed that a long-discussed India-US trade deal failed to materialise because Prime Minister Modi did not place a direct call to US President Donald Trump. Seizing the moment, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh stitched together cinema and criticism, posting a video of Lutnick’s comments with the caption: “Hug hug na raha, post post na raha.”

Not stopping there, Ramesh added another lyrical barb — “Kya se kya ho gaya, bewafa teri dosti mein” — drawing from classic Hindi film songs to underline what the party described as a dramatic fall in bonhomie between the two leaders once known for their public displays of warmth.

Lutnick’s account, delivered during an interview on the All-In Podcast, painted negotiations as a race against time, likening President Trump’s deal-making to a staircase where the first mover reaps the richest rewards. According to him, India was given a narrow window to seal the agreement — a deadline that passed without the decisive call from New Delhi.

“Trump is the closer,” Lutnick said, recalling how he urged Indian negotiators to arrange a call between Modi and Trump. “They were uncomfortable doing it, so Modi didn’t call.” In the weeks that followed, the US went on to finalise trade deals with Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, leaving India, in his words, “on the wrong side of the seesaw”.

The remarks come amid a delicate phase in India-US relations, with Trump recently warning that Washington could raise tariffs on Indian goods “very quickly” over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil — even as both sides have already completed six rounds of negotiations toward a bilateral trade pact aimed at resolving steep tariffs.

For the Congress, the episode offered a ready script: a mix of missed calls, missed opportunities, and a once-celebrated friendship now recast as a cinematic tale of estrangement — complete with songs, sarcasm and a stinging political punchline.

With PTI inputs