One-liners and dialogue-baazi poor substitutes: Opposition slams PM Modi's 'silence' on Trump's mediation claim

New Delhi: Opposition on Monday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on US President Donald Trump's claims on mediating between India and Pakistan, with the Congress saying that people expected a clarification against "one-liners and dialogue-baazi".

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said Modi's "much-delayed" address to the nation was "completely upstaged" by Trump's "revelations a few minutes earlier" about his involvement in prompting an agreement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

"The PM was completely silent on them. Has India agreed to US mediation? Has India agreed to a 'neutral site' for a dialogue with Pakistan? Will India now give in to US demands for opening Indian markets in autos, agriculture, and other areas?" Ramesh posted on 'X'.

Reiterating the demand for an all-party meeting, which Modi has "studiously avoided in the last twenty days", he said, "the months ahead will demand both painstaking diplomacy and a collective resolve. One-liners and dialogue-baazi are poor substitutes. We applaud and salute our armed forces unreservedly. They have done the country proud. We are 100% with them at all times. But the PM has still much to answer for."

Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said Trump's remarks has "disturbed every single Indian" when he claimed that it was "because of the threat of withdrawal of trade that we stopped". This comes as "a very shocking declaration" and the country expected the Prime Minister to respond to that and give a clarification to the nation, he said.

Senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said people knew more than what the Prime Minister had spoken about in his address to the nation.

"Let's not forget that in 2019, Modi hosted Trump at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event where he said 'Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar'. If this is the reward from the best friend, I must say Modi-ji couldn't protect India’s global position as was the case in 1971,” he said.

“Trump has a history of making statements that are criticized as baseless or misleading. This time he has spoken about India. I want my government to send a strong rebuttal failing which several doubts shall dominate the collective psyche of all Indians,” he added.

CPI(ML)L General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said Modi's "silences remain louder than his assertions" and 20 days after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack and the loss of 26 lives, the country still does not know when the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

"Trump and his administration have told the whole world that the ceasefire was the result of 'a long night of American mediation' and that India and Pakistan would negotiate on a range of issues at a neutral venue. By keeping quiet on these claims, the Prime Minister has failed to assure the people against American or third party intervention in the bilateral affairs concerning India and Pakistan," he said.

Demanding an urgent Parliament session, Bhattacharya also criticised Modi's "conspicuous silence" about the abusive trolling and hate mongering directed against Pahalgam victims like Himanshi Narwal and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family and the blatant lies propagated by Indian television channels.

Independent MP Kapil Sibal said, "PM Modi is correct when he says a new standard has been established through 'Operation Sindoor', as it's the first time in history a third country is 'interfering' in our matters."