Even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi could return from his US visit, the Congress on Wednesday termed his tour as “disappointing on outcomes”. Congress leaders claimed that Modi’s US visit was more about creating an atmosphere of a grand event with the help of ‘cheerleaders’ mostly taken from India and less on outcomes and content.
Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma attacked Modi for “withdrawing” an order which empowered the drug pricing authority to cap prices of non-essential drugs just before his US visit. Sharma claimed that during his visit, he agreed to set up a high-level working group on intellectual property in collaboration with the US to sort out issues which have been hampering investments. Sharma alleged that the PM has “compromised” India’s position since this issue cannot be revisited in a bilateral grouping. According to him, Modi came back empty-handed when it came to signing a nuclear agreement, getting relaxation in the H1B visas for Indian IT professionals and Totalisation Agreement.
Taking a dig at Modi’s address at the UN General Assembly, the Congress spokesperson claimed: “Two-third of the Assembly hall was empty when the Indian Prime Minister was speaking. This small gathering should be a matter of concern.” Sharma also remarked that all Indian Prime Ministers who went to the US were given the honour of addressing the joint session of US Congress but not Modi.
“Hype and hyperbole apart, the Indo-US strategic partnership is a long and continuous process and it would be wrong to relate it with one single event or one single visit of a Prime Minister to that country. The nation was curious to know as what were your substantial achievements during the current visit which the previous Government had not been able to do,” said another Congress leader, Captain Amarinder Singh.
“Whether it is taking further the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, which incidentally Modi’s party BJP opposed so vigorously and brought a no-confidence motion against the UPA Government over it, or announcing to set up an Indo-US inter-agency to speed up setting up of US-built nuclear reactors in India, there is nothing new that has come out of this visit,” the senior Congress leader claimed.