With U.S. President Donald Trump once again claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Congress has strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued silence on the matter. On Wednesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh questioned Modi’s lack of response, accusing him of ignoring serious diplomatic matters while focusing on foreign travel and allegedly undermining democratic institutions within India.
Speaking at a reception at the White House, Trump reiterated that his intervention prevented a major conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. He claimed that five planes were shot down during a clash and that the situation was escalating rapidly until he stepped in. According to Trump, “They shot down five planes and it was back and forth… I called them and said, ‘Listen, no more trade.’ They’re both powerful nuclear nations and that would have happened, and who knows where that would have ended up. And I stopped it.”
He further claimed that the United States also eliminated Iran’s nuclear capability and stopped conflicts in other regions, including Kosovo and Serbia.
This is not the first time Trump has made such claims. Since May 10, he has reiterated at least 25 times that the U.S. mediated peace between India and Pakistan — a frequency that Ramesh sarcastically described as Trump reaching the “quarter-century mark” on his assertions. “He has trumpeted 25 times in the last 73 days but the Prime Minister of India is totally quiet – finding time only to travel abroad and to destabilise democratic institutions at home,” Ramesh wrote on social media platform X.
https://x.com/jairam_ramesh/status/1947872390207442969?s=61
Trump’s statements contradict India’s official stance. New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan was the result of direct military-level dialogue between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations — not international mediation. A phone call between Modi and Trump last month reportedly included Modi firmly rejecting any form of external involvement in India-Pakistan relations.
India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, targeted militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The conflict ended after four days of intense cross-border action, with both sides agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10 following internal talks.
Congress has demanded clarity from the Modi government and urged the Prime Minister to respond to Trump’s repeated and controversial assertions. — With Agencies Inputs