US President Donald Trump criticizes India’s PM Narendra Modi and defies their friendship by questioning the data related to novel coronavirus on Tuesday during the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden for the upcoming US elections.

Despite the strong friendship with Modi, Trump has not stopped from accusing the Modi-led government of hiding the coronavirus-related data.

While hoping to woo the voters watching the heated debate and to put his Democratic rival Joe Biden, he launched an attack on China, Russia and India, and alleged the governments of not revealing the actual numbers of people who have lost their lives to the novel coronavirus.

"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.

"They don't exactly give you a straight count," he continued the allegation.

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 criticize China and Russia but it is rare for them to take a negative tone on India, a growing US partner.