Diplomatic delegations part of Modi govt's 'weapons of mass distraction' exercise: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday alleged that the diplomatic delegations being sent abroad were part of the government's "WMD -- weapons of mass distraction" exercise and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should call a special session of Parliament and clarify on US President Donald Trump's India-Pakistan ceasefire claims.

Speaking with PTI, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited news reports that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack were also involved in three earlier terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, and said there should be a clarification from the government if this is true as it would make their being at large even more serious.

"The continued refusal of the PM to call a session of Parliament and meanwhile send a delegation of 50 MPs to different countries...is all domestic optics and meaningless," Ramesh said.

These delegations are a "meaningless optical exercises", he added.

"India and Pakistan have WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). India has one more class of WMD that Pakistan does not have -- weapon of mass distraction. The sending of these delegations is part of the WMD exercise," Ramesh said, taking a swipe at Modi.

"He (Modi) has unleased three WMDs -- 'weapons of mass defamation' is unleashed from BJP headquarters and 'weapons of mass diversion' and 'weapons of mass distraction' are these MPs being sent as part of delegations," he said.

With US President Donald Trump repeating his claim that he settled the recent conflict between India and Pakistan through the promise of trade, the Congress also said Modi has not rejected such statements even once and asked why this "thundering silence".

"PM is quiet on this (Trump's claims). There was 'Howdy Modi', 'Namaste Trump', all that but the PM is quiet on this. The EAM has not said anything on what (US Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio has claimed. Rubio, in fact, has gone one step further and claimed that talks between the two countries would take place at a 'neutral site'," Ramesh said.

In a post on X, Ramesh said that for the eight time in 11 days, President Trump has claimed full credit for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, praised the PMs of India and Pakistan equally and put them on par in every way, and also reiterated that trade with the US was the instrument he used to get the two counties to declare a ceasefire.

"Yet our PM -- Donald bhai's great buddy -- is completely silent on what the US President is repeatedly saying. The External Affairs Minister also continues to maintain complete quiet on what his pal, the US Secretary of State, has said in support of the US President's claims and about the 'neutral site' for talks between India and Pakistan," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Why this thundering silence, he asked.

Speaking with PTI, the Congress leader said, "We are sending these delegations all over the world but the prime minister and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are continuously silent on the eight times, the US President has claimed these three things. It is very clear that India and Pakistan have become equal." Ramesh said there are some news reports that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack were also involved in three earlier terror attacks in J-K.

"They were involved in the December 2023 terror attack in Poonch, October 2024 attack in Ganderbal and in the October 2024 attack in Gulmarg. If this is true that these terrorists were involved in three other incidents and this (Pahalgam) makes it the fourth. ...While MPs are floating around all over the world, terrorists are floating around all over Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Noting that it has been one full month since the Pahalgam attack, Ramesh said there should be a clarification from the government if these terrorists were part of the group involved in three earlier incidents.

Ramesh said there are serious questions being raised on not only why Operation Sindoor was stopped suddenly and unexpectedly but on what is its full impact.

"The only way you can assess this is with a Kargil committee-type of exercise. You have to do it," Ramesh said.

He recalled that three days after the Kargil War ended, the Vajpayee government set up the Kargil Review Committee on July 29, 1999. Its report was tabled in Parliament on February 23, 2000, although sections of it have remained classified -- as indeed they must, he said.

Ramesh also recalled that Parliament session was advanced by the Jawaharlal Nehru government during the Chinese incursion in 1962.

He said Nehru had turned down the request of a secret session made by some MPs but called a Parliament session.

In his remarks in the Oval Office during a meeting with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump said, "If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole (matter), and I think I settled it through trade." He said the US is doing a "big deal" with both India and Pakistan.

India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.

On May 10, Trump had announced that India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks "mediated" by Washington.