Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remarking that his “friend in Washington DC” had once again stolen the spotlight after former US President Donald Trump reiterated his claims of stopping Operation Sindoor by leveraging trade with America.
Taking to X, Ramesh wrote, “As the PM prepares to address the nation, his good friend in Washington DC has once again stolen his thunder and claimed – for the 42nd time – that he stopped Operation Sindoor by using increased trade with America as leverage. President Trump has made these claims not only in the USA, but also in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UK.”
Ramesh further challenged the Prime Minister to respond to Trump’s repeated assertions and to address pressing domestic concerns. “Will the PM address these claims and speak of the increasingly fraught Indo-US relationship? Will he address the concerns of lakhs of Indian H-1B holders? Will he provide assurances to crores of farmers and workers impacted by his good friend’s tariffs? Or will he only repeat what we already know about the new GST rates, worked out in desperation and effective tomorrow?” he asked.
Earlier, Trump had once again claimed that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan through trade diplomacy. Speaking at the American Cornerstone Institute Founder’s Dinner on Saturday, Trump declared that he deserved recognition for “ending seven wars,” including between India and Pakistan.
“We are forging peace agreements, and we are stopping wars. So we stopped wars between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia,” Trump said. “Think of India and Pakistan. And you know how I stopped that — with trade. They want to trade. And I have great respect for both leaders. But when you take a look at all of these wars that we’ve stopped,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 5 pm today, on the eve of Navaratri, which also coincides with the rollout of revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms.
