Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that the party is likely to demand a discussion during the winter session of Parliament on repeated statements of US President Donald Trump on mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and also on trade agreements and issues with China.
Jairam Ramesh said that the government has convened an all-party meeting on November 30 ahead of the start of the winter session. He accused the government of failing to fulfil its commitments made at the all-party meeting. "An all-party meeting has been called on November 30, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. We will definitely demand that the US President's statements, trade agreements, and issues of China be addressed in the meeting. But this session, which is only for 15 days, is a formality. I do not know what the government is going to do because the government says one thing in the all-party meeting and does something else," Jairam Ramesh told ANI.
He also launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not "openly say that President Trump is wrong".
Jairam Ramesh also said that he does not see any clarity on the trade deal with the United States, and India is reducing its oil imports from Russia due to pressure from Trump. The Congress leader said PM Modi does not miss an opportunity to defame Congress but is silent on Trump's remarks.
"Yesterday evening at the White House, US President Trump reiterated for the sixtieth time, when Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also with him, that because of me, a war between India and Pakistan was prevented. India had to stop Operation Sindoor, and our Prime Minister is silent," the Congress leader told ANI. "Our Prime Minister does not miss an opportunity to defame the Congress. He lashes out at Congress and defames our leaders and when President Trump says sixty times that Operation Sindoor was stopped because of me, because I used the trade agreement as a weapon, yet our Prime Minister remains silent. I don't understand why he is afraid; why doesn't he openly say that President Trump is wrong?" he asked.
India and Pakistan agreed to end hostilities during Op Sindoor after Pakistan's DGMO called his Indian counterpart.
Replying to a question on negotiations for the Bilateral Trade Agreement, Jairam Ramesh said the Commerce and Industry Minister has said that 90 per cent work has been done but there is no clarity. "I don't see any clarity on the trade deal. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has also said that 90% of the work has been done. One thing is clear: the amount of oil we used to buy from Russia, we are reducing that number, because of the pressure of US President Trump," he said. (ANI)
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