Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent phone call with former U.S. President Donald Trump, hailed by the government as a diplomatic success, has sparked political fireworks in India. The Congress party, led by spokesperson Jairam Ramesh, dismissed the call as a “triple jhatka”—a triple jolt to India’s diplomatic stature—rather than a win. Ramesh argued that the timing of the call was embarrassing, especially since Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir was scheduled to have lunch with Trump at the White House on the same day. Munir, widely condemned in India for his inflammatory remarks preceding the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, was accused by Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar of spreading extremist ideology that emboldened the terrorists who killed 26 people.
The Congress questioned whether Modi raised Munir’s presence or his incendiary comments during the 35-minute call with Trump. Ramesh went further to highlight repeated claims made by Trump—at least 14 times, according to him—of having helped resolve the India-Pakistan conflict, along with statements from top U.S. generals describing Pakistan as a “phenomenal” counter-terror partner. These combined developments, the Congress said, represent a dangerous erosion of India’s diplomatic clout.
Ramesh demanded that the Prime Minister summon Parliament and brief all parties on the conversation, criticizing Modi’s prolonged silence following the Pahalgam attack. He said the discrepancy between the Foreign Secretary’s briefing and what he alleged to be a U.S. readout of the call added to the confusion and suspicion surrounding the conversation. “Why can’t the PM say the same thing in Parliament that he said to President Trump?” he asked, calling for transparency and opposition consultation.
The BJP was quick to hit back. Party spokesperson Amit Malviya dismissed Ramesh’s remarks, calling him a “congenital liar” akin to Rahul Gandhi. Malviya claimed there was no official U.S. statement on the call and accused the Congress of circulating an outdated readout from January 2025. “Congress cannot digest that PM Modi clearly told Trump India neither needs nor accepts third-party mediation,” Malviya said. BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla also attacked the Congress, accusing it of being the “biggest cultivator of fake news.”
Adding to the skepticism, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut echoed calls for clarity, saying Trump must tweet directly to clarify whether the U.S. played any role in the ceasefire, and retract his earlier claims if untrue. As the political debate intensifies, the Modi-Trump phone call has become a flashpoint for renewed partisan clashes over foreign policy, national security, and transparency in governance.