"Do Not Misinterpret," Jaishankar Clarifies PM Modi's ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ Remark

Asserting India's non-partisan stand to domestic American politics, Jaishankar said PM Modi used the term ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar’, in the Houston rally, merely referring to what US President Donald Trump had said to endear himself to the Indian American community during his presidential campaign.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (Image: ANI)

New Delhi: Amid row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” remark at Howdy Modi event in Houston, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar issued a clarification stating that PM’s remark was misinterpreted. Jaishankar, who is currently on a three-day trip to Washington DC, strongly refuted the notion that the prime minister used the phrase to endorse Trump's candidature for his 2020 re-election campaign. Asserting India's non-partisan stand to domestic American politics, Jaishankar said PM Modi used the term ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar’, in the Houston rally, merely referring to what US President Donald Trump had said to endear himself to the Indian American community during his presidential campaign. No, he did not say that, the minister said when asked during a news conference with Indian journalists about the implication of the prime minister purportedly using the slogan in his Houston address. “I think, please, look very carefully at what the prime minister said. My recollection of what the prime minister said was that candidate Trump had used this ( Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar ). So PM is talking about the past,” he said. "I don't think we should, honestly, misinterpret what was said. I don't think you're doing a good service to anybody, Jaishankar said in response to the question. Addressing a mammoth crowd of more than 50,000 Indian Americans in Houston on September 22, Modi said that we in India have connected well with Trump. The words of candidate Trump, Abki baar Trump sarkar , rang loud and clear. And his celebration of Diwali in the House - White House - lit up millions of faces with joy and appreciation, Modi had said amidst thunderous applause from the audience. Back home, the Congress party sternly criticized the sloganeering by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a violation of India's foreign policy. Congress said that it could have been avoided. "We have a strategic partnership between India and the US, which is bi-partisan, which we fully endorse," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma had said.