Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of silence as Trump repeats India-Pakistan ceasefire claim
New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of being “scared” of US President Donald Trump and failing to refute his repeated claims of mediating peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Addressing a joint rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga constituency, Gandhi said, “Next time when Modi comes to Bihar, he must tell the people that the US President is lying about stopping the India-Pakistan conflict.” He alleged that Trump had “insulted” Modi by making the same claim repeatedly in various countries, most recently at the APEC summit in South Korea.
“Trump is insulting Modi in country after country. Latest is South Korea. Don’t be scared, Modi ji — find the courage to respond,” Gandhi said, highlighting Trump’s remarks that he had “used trade to frighten Modi into stopping Operation Sindoor.”
Trump, during his speech in Seoul, reiterated that he had threatened both India and Pakistan with trade restrictions and “200% tariffs” to halt their hostilities, claiming credit for preventing a potential “nuclear war.” He even remarked that seven planes had been shot down during the four-day conflict before the ceasefire.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 people. The ceasefire understanding was reached on May 10 after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart.
India has consistently maintained that no third-party mediation was involved in the ceasefire process. The Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the understanding was entirely bilateral, with no external interference.
This is not the first time Gandhi has challenged Modi to respond directly to Trump’s statements. During a parliamentary debate in July, he had demanded that the Prime Minister publicly state that “Donald Trump is lying.”
Despite Trump’s repeated assertions, Prime Minister Modi has avoided direct comments on the matter. India’s official stance remains firm that the truce with Pakistan was initiated through direct military communication, independent of any foreign mediation.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
