Gandhi’s remarks mark a sharp escalation in campaign rhetoric ahead of the forthcoming state assembly election in Bihar, where he is seeking to shift the narrative from local governance issues to a national critique of Modi’s leadership. He contrasted Modi’s oft-quoted “56-inch chest” with the example of Mahatma Gandhi, saying that physical display of strength offers no guarantee of political resolve. “He got a panic attack when Trump called him during Operation Sindoor and ended the military conflict in two days,” Gandhi charged.
The Opposition leader specifically accused Modi of succumbing to foreign influence. “He is not just scared of Trump, but is also being remote-controlled by Ambani and Adani,” Gandhi asserted, citing that when Trump purportedly asked India to halt the military action codenamed Operation Sindoor, Modi obliged.
Gandhi turned his fire on Modi’s economic record, stating that landmark measures like GST and demonetisation were designed to destroy small businesses and favour big conglomerates. He pledged that his coalition, the INDIA bloc, would instead sponsor small enterprises and push for local manufacturing—evoking the slogan “made in Bihar” in place of “made in China”.
In a rhetorical flourish aimed at younger voters, Gandhi charged that Modi encouraged focus on social-media “reels” to divert attention from pressing issues such as unemployment. “Modi says we have cheap internet to watch reels, but when you watch reels, the money goes to Ambani,” he claimed.
Beyond corporate influence and foreign policy, Gandhi targeted the Prime Minister’s style of campaigning. “Tell him to do yoga, he will do a few asanas. He will even dance on stage for votes. Whatever you say until election day, Modi will do that,” he said. Gandhi argued this performance-based politics was part of an electoral bargain in which Modi would shift his focus to corporate backers once the vote was secured.
Gandhi also alleged that the state government in Bihar, headed by Nitish Kumar, was being “remote-controlled” from Delhi via Modi and senior officials, rather than by Bihar’s own elected leadership. He claimed that a handful of bureaucrats in Patna took orders from the capital rather than from the state chief minister.
While these remarks were delivered in the heat of a high-stakes campaign, they reflect themes that have been recurrent in Gandhi’s criticisms of the government—namely, preferential treatment for business elites, compromised sovereignty in foreign affairs, and scripted politics at the expense of grassroots representation. Observers note that despite internal reservations in the opposition, Gandhi appears to lean heavily on Modi-centric messaging as his strategy in the state contest.
The claims make implicit assumptions about Modi’s control over both domestic and international levers of power, and they pose questions about transparency, accountability and the balance between public interest and private influence. Modi’s office has not publicly addressed the specific allegations of fear driven by foreign leaders or remote-control by business bosses. Meanwhile, Gandhi’s speeches may serve to brand his alliance as an alternative to what he frames as entrenched elite politics and centralised executive power.