Speaking at a public rally in Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, the Prime Minister accused the Congress of attempting to create distrust with West Asian countries by making hostile statements against India. He said the Congress aimed to panic the public to gain politically and to “hurl abuses” at him, even at the risk of endangering Indian migrants’ lives.

“The Congress wants the West Asian countries to consider India as their enemy, that we should make some mistake here, give some statement like that, and trouble befalls Indians living in the Gulf countries, so the Congress is giving statements that anger the Gulf countries. The Congress wants panic to spread, and for it to get a chance to hurl abuses at Modi,” the Prime Minister said.

Emphasising that the safety of Keralites was his foremost concern, he stated that elections are temporary. “I want to tell the people of Congress, LDF, and UDF that politics has its place and elections will come and go, but for me, the safety of the lakhs of Keralites there is the priority, and I am committed to that,” he added.

Modi further said that the ongoing conflict in West Asia had exposed the “designs” of the Congress and its allies, who were making statements to sow distrust among Indians living in the region.

“The war crisis in West Asia has exposed the designs of the Congress and its allied parties. Today, the entire country is watching how the situation has unfolded in the Gulf countries, where millions of our people are working, yet Congress’s big leaders deliberately make statements that put the safety of Indians living in West Asia at risk and sow distrust among the people there,” he stated.

He highlighted India’s strong diplomatic ties with Gulf nations as the basis for the protection of the Indian diaspora during the conflict.

“It’s only because of our good relations that the governments of the Gulf countries consider all our Indians as their own family and are protecting them… This is not the time to say such things; the safety of those Indians is our priority… Please stop making senseless remarks that cause trouble for our people there,” Modi said.

Assuring families of Indians abroad, the Prime Minister said the Government of India maintained constant communication with leaders in the Gulf region to safeguard citizens’ welfare.

“In these circumstances of war, I understand your concern. Therefore, I am in constant contact with the leaders of the Gulf countries; we are continuously talking with the governments there. I assure all of you family members that your son, your daughter, your relatives, even if they are far from you, are not alone; the Government of India is with every Indian living in those countries,” he added.

Referring to rescue efforts involving Indian fishermen, Modi accused the Congress of “selfish politics” and called on them to apologise to the people of Kerala.

“To win elections, to hurl abuses at Modi, the Congress is ready to sit back and put the lives of one crore migrants in jeopardy. Meanwhile, our fishermen in Iran are from Tamil Nadu, Goa, Keralam, Telangana, and Puducherry; their lives are in danger. We are rescuing them from the crisis; today, hundreds of fishermen brothers and sisters are returning to India. Their lives are precious to us. The Congress should apologise to the people of Keralam for this selfish politics,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s statements follow critical remarks by Congress leaders over the government’s preparedness in managing the rescue of the Indian diaspora amid the West Asia crisis.

Separately, addressing a public rally in Idukki on Saturday, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was under Narendra Modi’s control, similar to Modi being “controlled” by former US President Donald Trump.

Gandhi repeated his claims about US influence over Modi, stating, “Narendra Modi is fully controlled by Donald Trump… The most humiliating part is that Narendra Modi calls Donald Trump ‘Sir’. He thinks he is back in the British times… Donald Trump controls PM Modi the way PM Modi controls Pinarayi Vijayan.”