‘Return to your I hate India tour’: US Singer Mary Millben jabs Rahul Gandhi for criticising PM Modi

US singer Mary Millben on Friday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Millben urged the Congress leader to, instead, resume his ‘I hate India tour’.

Millben, who has earlier lavished praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, lacks the ‘acumen’ to become the Prime Minister.

The singer's comments came a day after Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, claimed that PM Modi is “frightened of Trump”. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister “lets” Trump announce that India will stop buying Russian oil, continues to send congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs, and “does not contradict” the US President on Operation Sindoor.

Gandhi's remarks came hours after President Trump claimed that PM Modi had assured him that New Delhi would stop purchasing Russian oil, months after the US imposed punitive tariffs on India over these imports.

“PM Modi is frightened of Trump. 1. Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. 2. Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. 3. Canceled the Finance Minister’s visit to America. 4. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. 5. Doesn’t contradict him on Operation Sindoor,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

What did Mary Millben say?

Responding to Rahul Gandhi's post, the US singer said, “You are wrong, Rahul Gandhi. PM Narendra Modi is not afraid of President Trump,” she wrote in the post, adding that PM Narendra Modi understands the long game and his diplomacy with the US is strategic.

“Just as POTUS will always put America's interests first, so will PM Modi do what is best for India. And I applaud that. That's what Heads of State do,” the post read.

Millben also said that PM Modi and President Trump do and say "what is best for their country," which she does not expect Gandhi to understand.

“I don’t expect you to understand this type of leadership because you don’t possess the acumen to be PM of India. Best to return to your “I hate India” tour that has an audience of one - you,” the singer said.

Who is Mary Millben?

Millben, an actor and cultural ambassador, met PM Narendra Modi in June 2023 when he was on a state visit to the United States. She then performed the national anthem at the Ronald Reagan building and touched PM Modi's feet to seek his blessings.

What did Donald Trump say?

Trump said securing PM Modi’s assurance was part of a broader diplomatic effort to cut off Moscow’s energy revenue amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Gandhi, a Congress MP from Rae Bareli, has repeatedly targeted PM Modi for allowing President Trump to ‘dictate’ terms, amid the exchange of congratulatory messages and calls, despite snubs.

India on Thursday, 16 October, rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that PM Modi agreed to stop purchasing oil from Russia. The government said the claim was incorrect.