Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, calling for transparency on a trade deal that Trump has described as a “very big deal.”
Addressing a press conference, Ramesh highlighted that since May 10, Trump has publicly stated at least 16 times that he was instrumental in securing the ceasefire agreement between the two South Asian neighbours, allegedly using trade negotiations as leverage.
“President Trump claims credit for bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan using trade as an instrument. What is this trade deal he keeps referring to?” Ramesh asked, demanding answers from the Centre.
He further raised concerns over India’s strategic and economic interests, questioning whether the country was compromising key sectors like agriculture and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to secure the agreement. “Are we opening up our agriculture? Are we opening up our SMEs? Are we liberalising imports from America? What are we doing? What is this deal?” he said.
Ramesh expressed dismay that the details of the deal — if any — are being revealed in Washington and not in New Delhi. “Why do we have to learn about a ceasefire and trade agreement from President Trump? Why isn’t the Prime Minister taking Parliament into confidence?” he said.
The Congress leader also questioned the silence of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stating that the External Affairs Minister should be addressing current and pressing diplomatic matters rather than focusing on historical events.
He criticised the government’s lack of transparency, asking why critical national issues like cross-border ceasefire and trade negotiations are being handled without public or parliamentary disclosure. “Why isn’t the nation being taken into confidence on a deal that Trump calls a big achievement?” Ramesh asked.