🎭 Political Theatre | Modi talks tough on terror while Trump claims ceasefire credit

Greetings readers,

After four days of military standoff which included drone strikes and attacking each other’s military bases, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday. The key event which came as a relief to civilians living in the border areas remained the most important development in the political circle for most of the week, except for US President Donald Trump sneaking in here and there.

Please remain seated as we take you on a political tour around the globe in this week’s DH Political Theatre.

No business as usual: Modi draws the line on terror

Two days after the announcement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and for the first time since Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and sternly warned the noisy neighbours that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail. He also sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade cannot happen together, terror and trade cannot go together.

While the Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan by dropping missiles, Modi resorted to his classic mic drop rhetoric to caution the neighbouring country on harbouring terrorists.

"Operation Sindoor is India's new policy against terrorism and our unwavering pledge for justice. It is the new normal. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan and the future will depend on their behaviour," Modi said in a 22-minute address.

Referring to India putting in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, Modi said that blood and water cannot flow together.

The ceasefire announcement however, was rather dramatic as US President Donald Trump shared the news on his Truth Social handle before any of the countries involved. While Pakistan has acknowledged the “constructive role played by the United States” in supporting the de-escalation, India has maintained that no third party was involved in the decision.

And the credit for ceasefire goes to…

Unfazed by New Delhi’s rejection of his claim that the US brokered the India-Pakistan ceasefire, President Donald Trump has now not only vowed to help resolve the dispute over Kashmir but also said that the conflict his administration helped end could have killed millions. Trump repeated his claims during his visit to Saudi Arabia as well.

The Indian government has reiterated several times that the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea without any third party involvement.

The contradictory claims have kicked up a political storm with the opposition Congress asking the Modi government, "Ameriki papa ne war rukwa di kya?"

"What do the typically loquacious PM and EAM have to say about this revelation? Did they mortgage India's security interests in the face of US pressure?" Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on X.

The opposition parties have also requested for a special session of Parliament to discuss all the events following the Pahalgam terror attack.

While Trump’s unrelenting claims have put the Modi government in a tight spot, the elation is quite evident in the President’s speeches of having finally and allegedly played the “peacemaker” between two countries as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts still continue.

The enemy within

While the whole nation including political leaders across party lines stood together in solidarity with the Pahalgam victims and the Indian Armed Forces, the narrative of unity set in place with army personnel from different backgrounds addressing the media on Operation Sindoor was crushed under the weight of condemnable remarks of a BJP leader.

Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah came under fire for his comments aimed at Colonel Sofiya Qureshi during a public event in Indore. Shah tried to present Col Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists”, prompting the Madhya Pradesh High Court to take suo motu cognisance of his words.

On the orders of the HC, police have booked Shah for making objectionable remarks about Col Qureshi, who gained national prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during media briefings on Operation Sindoor.

While Shah has apologised for his remarks, considering the "scurrilous" comments at such a sensitive time combined with his history of controversial statements, the apology holds less significance.

Another leader from Madhya Pradesh, the state’s deputy CM, too has courted controversy. Jagdish Devda went an extra mile while praising PM Modi and said the country, its army, and soldiers have ‘bowed down at the feet' of the Prime Minister for giving a befitting reply to Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Perhaps a little too excited over the caste census announcement and feeling left out, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav too joined in and said that Colonel Qureshi was targeted by the BJP minister as she is a Muslim but Wing Commander Vyomika Singh was spared thinking she was Rajput.

"Let me tell you. Vyomika Singh is a Jatav from Haryana and Air Marshal Bharti is a Yadav from Purnia. So all three were from PDA (Picchda, dalit, Alpsankhyak or Backwards, dalits and minorities). One was abused as she was a Muslim. The other was spared thinking that she was a Rajput... and there was no information (to them) about Bharti. When it came in the (news)paper, they are forced to think about what to do now," Yadav said.

Bihar in the brewing

With months to go for the Bihar Assembly polls, the caste census issue has taken the center stage in the state's politics.

Playing the social justice card to the hilt, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday addressed inmates of an 'Ambedkar hostel' in Bihar and watched a movie based on the life of legendary reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Rahul also remarked that despite its earlier reluctance, the Union government eventually decided to hold a nationwide caste census “out of fear.”

Earlier, the Darbhanga district administration denied Rahul the permission to meet students on the campus saying the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha can hold his meet at the Town Hall instead of the university hostel. He then chose to get out of his car and walk several hundred metres to reach the ground adjacent to the hostel, where a huge canopy had been put up.

"My car was stopped at the gates. But I did not relent...I took a circuitous route to reach here on foot", Gandhi said at the function, speaking into a hand-held mic.

Truce in US-China trade war

Beijing and Washington have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs after holding bilateral talks in Geneva last weekend, surpassing market expectations, as both sides agreed to significantly roll back most of the tariffs imposed on each other's goods since early April.

On the other hand, US President Donald Trump was on a four-day tour of the Gulf nations this week. During his tour, Trump announced deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars between the United States and the oil- and gas-rich Middle East.

One of the major deals of the tour included Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways committing to spend $14.5 billion to buy 28 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines.

That is all about the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will come back again next week with more political advancements from around the world.

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DH Newsletters Team