Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call US President Donald Trump a "liar," if he did not broker the India-Pakistan ceasefire.
Rahul Gandhi said, "US President Donald Trump has said 29 times that he brokered the ceasefire. Fine, if he’s lying, then let Prime Minister Modi say it clearly in his speech here: "You are lying. If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him stand here and say, “Donald Trump, you are a liar".
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he had intervened in the India-Pakistan conflict during Operation Sindoor and had a role in enabling a "ceasefire" deal. He also claimed to have used trade and tariffs to convince the two nations to stop hostilities.
However, the Indian government has denied these claims, stressing that the cessation of hostilities happened only after both the sides agreed between themselves rather than any third party's intervention.
"It is a very dangerous time and we cannot afford a Prime Minister who doesn't know how to use the Army. We cannot afford a Prime Minister who doesn't have the guts to say from here that Donald Trump is a liar. He didn't stop the fighting, and he is lying about the planes," Rahul Gandhi said, targeting PM Modi.
He continued with his attacks on the central government over Operation Sindoor, saying "India should not be reduced to a battlefield". He took a jibe at PM Modi, asking him to "not sacrifice national interest for own petty political games".
"Do not allow India to be reduced to a battlefield where major powers are fighting. We have to navigate carefully and protect our interests. Secondly, to the Prime Minister: the nation is above your image and PR. Have the humility and dignity to understand this, and do not sacrifice the armed forces and national interest for your own petty political games," Rahul Gandhi said.