Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: Rahul Gandhi alleges PM Modi is 'controlled' by Donald Trump

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he is being “controlled” by US President Donald Trump and is attempting to influence political power in Tamil Nadu.

Addressing an election rally, Gandhi criticised the Prime Minister’s conduct in Parliament during discussions on the delimitation bill. “You saw yesterday (in Parliament) the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi completely lacking confidence,” he said. “He (PM) could not even face the opposition. He was sitting sideways. And the reason is, he is controlled by the United States.”

Escalating his criticism, Gandhi alleged that India’s interests had been compromised through international agreements. “He signed the India-US deal that sold our country out,” he said, adding that the government had weakened key sectors.

“The prime minister ‘handed out our energy security and gave away our data, besides selling our farmers and small and medium industries.'"

The Congress leader also made strong personal allegations linking the Prime Minister to the US leadership.

“Today, if Donald Trump tells Modi to jump, Modi jumps. If Donald Trump tells Modi to lie down, Modi lies down. Why? Because Donald Trump controls Modi fully,” Gandhi said.

He further claimed that such control stemmed from sensitive information. “How does he control him? He controls through the Epstein files. He controls him because he knows Modi's financial systems and understands Modi's link with Adani,” he alleged.

Turning to Tamil Nadu politics, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of attempting to replicate similar control at the state level. “Just as he was being controlled by Trump, Modi wanted to do the same to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu,” he said. “That is why he wants to put AIADMK in power in TN.”