India does not give a 'straight count' on Covid-19 deaths: Trump

New Delhi, Sep 30: US President Donald Trump Wednesday claimed that India does not give a "straight count" on the Covid-19 deaths.

During the presidential debate on Tuesday night between him and Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden, they both sparred on the extent of the deaths caused by the pandemic.

While defending the United States' performance in managing the coronavirus pandemic, Trump said "When you talk about numbers you don't know how many people died in China, you don't know how many people died in Russia, you don't know how many people died in India," Trump said at the debate in Cleveland. "They don't exactly give you a straight count," he said.

Trump said that "millions" could have died without his actions and again blamed the pandemic on China, which initially suppressed news of the disease when it emerged late last year. US leaders frequently criticise China and Russia but it is rare for them to take a negative tone on India, a growing US partner.