Petty attempt to divide us politically deplorable: Cong slams BJP for criticising UPA's approach
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): The Congress slammed the BJP on Saturday for accusing the previous UPA government of acting with "passivity" in responding to terror attacks and said the ruling party and the government must clarify whether it is time to play politics instead of giving a message of unity.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for putting out a social media post criticising the previous UPA government and said the "petty attempt to divide us politically is deplorable".
The opposition party's criticism came after the BJP hit out at the UPA government's approach in dealing with Pakistan.
"The message to the enemies is loud and clear. Don't mess with us! Unlike the UPA regime's passivity, New India has no patience for futile peace talks," the BJP said in a post on X and shared a video montage to claim that while talks followed terror attacks during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule, this has changed under the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tagging the post on the microblogging platform, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "So do we have to do politics now? Is it time to do politics? Doesn't the government need the support of the opposition?
"Do we not have to give a message of unity now? The government and BJP should clarify," Khera said in his post in Hindi.
Tagging the BJP's post on X, Tharoor said, "At a time when the nation stands united as Indians, this petty attempt to divide us politically is deplorable. Our government has learned the futility of past approaches the hard way -- after inviting Pakistan to participate in the investigation of the Pathankot blasts in 2016. It is only then that it took to the path of military action, carefully calibrated and maturely conducted. This advertisement is neither appropriate nor mature. Delete it, please, @BJP4India. Jai Hind."
At a time when the nation stands united as Indians, this petty attempt to divide us politically is deplorable. Our government has learned the futility of past approaches the hard way -- after inviting Pakistan to participate in the investigation of the Pathankot blasts in 2016.… https://t.co/jRhJ04HAMb
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 10, 2025
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
