Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Sunday evening, the Congress took a sharp dig at him, questioning whether he would address US President Donald Trump's controversial claims on brokering peace between India and Pakistan, as well as the concerns of lakhs of Indian H-1B visa holders affected by a steep US fee hike.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not revealed the subject of Modi’s 5 pm address, which comes on the eve of Navratri and the rollout of revised GST rates.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, hit out at Modi, saying, “As the PM prepares to speak, his good friend in Washington has already stolen his thunder, claiming, for the 42nd time that he stopped Operation Sindoor using trade as leverage.”
Ramesh questioned whether the Prime Minister would respond to Trump's repeated assertions that he mediated peace between India and Pakistan, claims India has firmly denied
He also raised concerns over Indo-US relations and the impact of the Trump administration’s recent decision to impose a one-time $100,000 H-1B visa fee on new applications, a move likely to severely affect skilled Indian professionals in the US.
“Will the PM address these serious issues or just repeat what is already known about GST rate cuts?” Ramesh asked, calling the GST revisions “desperate.”
Trump, speaking at an event in Washington, claimed he prevented a full-scale conflict between India and Pakistan in May, saying, “We stopped wars, India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia and 60% of those were because of trade.” He claimed he told Indian and Pakistani leaders, “We're not going to do any trade if you're going to fight,” and suggested that threat brought peace.
India, however, maintains that the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan was the result of direct talks between military officials from both countries, with no third-party involvement.