PM Modi must publicly reject Trump's claim: Congress renews attack after US President reiterates 'I stopped the war'

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump reiterated his claim of stopping the war between Pakistan and India.


"Public claims made by President Trump simply cannot be countered by proxy. Prime Minister Modi must publicly reject President Trump’s claims - if they are incorrect," the Congress said after the US president once again claimed that he had stopped the war between Pakistan and India.

"I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man (Asim Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side and PM Modi from the Indian side and others. I stopped a war between two major nuclear nations ... ," the US President said ahead of his meeting with Pakistan army chief Asif Munir in the White House.


Ironically, Trump's latest claim came after foreign secretary Vikram Misri had briefed the media earlier today and said that PM Modi had told President Trump that India had halted its military actions last month following direct talks between their militaries, without any American mediation.

In a nearly 35-minute phone call with Trump on Tuesday, Modi firmly stated that India does not and will "never accept" mediation and that the discussions between Indian and Pakistani militaries on cessation of military actions were initiated at Islamabad's request, foreign secretary Vikram Misri had said in the morning rejecting Trump's repeated claims of brokering truce.

Taking swipes at the government over the contradictory statements, the Congress said "this is indeed very puzzling."

"The Modi government is saying something else and Trump continues to be adamant on his own claim - which he has now made for the 15th time in the last 38 days," the Congress posted on X.

"The reality is that the information about the ceasefire was first shared by Trump on X and not the Indian Government," it added.

"Why is Narendra Modi not able to state openly all that he allegedly told Trump over the phone? India awaits answers. This is a matter of our national security and sovereignty and cannot be treated so recklessly," the Congress said.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera also launched a scathing attack on the government and demanded that PM Modi should publicly reject the claims being made by Trump.

"Donald Trump isn’t using a senior official to claim that he mediated between India and Pakistan. He has been saying it himself. Public claims made by President Trump simply cannot be countered by proxy. Prime Minister Modi must publicly reject President Trump’s claims - if they are incorrect," Khera said in a post on X.

"One has to feel a bit sorry for the Foreign Secretary - left to clean up after a government that can’t keep its own narrative intact," he wrote.

The government has all along denied any third-party mediation. PM Modi said that the talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between New Delhi and Islamabad under the existing channels established between both militaries, and it was done at Pakistan’s request.

Notably, PM Modi and President Trump were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, but Trump had to return to the US early, due to which the meeting could not take place. The Prime Minister invited President Trump to India, and he accepted the invitation.