The Opposition Congress on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his social media post where he termed India and the United States as natural partners.
Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that US President Donald Trump had declared over 35 times that he brought about the India-Pakistan ceasefire using trade as the instrument of leverage.
“Prime Minister Modi has told President Trump that India and the US are 'natural partners'. The question is now this: Are they so natural that President Trump has declared on over 35 different occasions that he brought about the India-Pakistan ceasefire on the evening of May 10th using trade as the instrument of leverage?,” asked Ramesh in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, Modi said both India and the US were working to conclude the trade negotiations at the earliest and expressed confidence that the trade negotiations would pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the partnership between the two countries.
“Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” he said.
Modi’s tweet was in response to the US President’s remark on the Truth Social platform, where he signalled a thaw in the bilateral chill between India and the US.
Trump said both India and the US were continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers and that he was looking forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he called a “very good friend”.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!,” Trump said.
India-US relations nosedived last month after Trump imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on India, citing its continued purchase of cheap Russian oil. Trump had also ruffled feathers in New Delhi after he repeatedly claimed to have brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan using trade.
India has rejected his claim and maintained that the ceasefire decision was taken bilaterally following a request from the Pakistani DGMO.