Congress mocks Narendra Modi's 'hugplomacy', says foreign leaders running away because of PM's hugs

Congress on Thursday released another video poking fun at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘hugplomacy’, saying foreign leaders seem to be running away because of the prime minister’s hugs. In the short video, titled, Modi is awkward, Congress slammed the prime minister, criticising his most talked hugs, including with US president Donald Trump, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, French president Emanuelle Macron, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, among others.

With Modi, it seems like a hug a day sends foreign leaders running away. #HugplomacyYaadRakhna pic.twitter.com/gjJ8ryTwtZ

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 14, 2019

The video was released on the same day that Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala termed the Modi government’s foreign policy a series of diplomatic disasters after China blocked a UN resolution to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist. Commenting on Modi’s well-publicised talk with Chinese president Xi Jinping on a swing, Surjewala had said that “despite (Modi’s) 56-inch hugplomacy and game of swings, China-Pakistan combine showing red-eye to India”. [caption id=“attachment_6263281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi hugs US President Donald Trump as he departures the White House after a visit. Reuters[/caption] Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit out at Modi alleging that the prime minister was “weak” and “scared” of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Congress termed the development at the UN as a sad day in the fight against terrorism. The party alleged that a “weak-kneed Modi government’s failed ‘jhoola (swing)- diplomacy’ has hurt India’s national interests” and that the BJP had let Azhar off the hook again. It also asked Modi what was the use of his “swinging” with Xi. Gandhi attacked the prime minister and said he has not spoken on China blocking the resolution in the UN Security Council (UNSC). “Weak Modi is scared of Xi. Not a word comes out of his mouth when China acts against India. NoMo’s China diplomacy: 1. Swing with Xi in Gujarat. 2. Hug Xi in Delhi. 3. Bow to Xi in China,” he said on Twitter. Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from an Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.