PM not able to say 'Trump is lying' as US President will lay bare truth: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "refusing to unequivocally" deny US President Donald Trump's India-Pakistan ceasefire claims that have been made "30 times" as he is on a "very weak wicket and has much to cover up".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Modi cannot state that Trump is lying about his role in bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan as if he does so, the American leader will lay bare the truth.
The opposition party took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi after Trump repeated his claim about playing a role in bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying the American leader is coiled around the PM "like a snake" and "hissing bitter truths" into his ear.
Asked about Trump's latest remarks repeating his claims and that India is preparing to face higher US tariffs between 20 and 25 per cent, Gandhi said, "It is obvious, the prime minister has not said that Trump is lying. It is obvious what has happened. Everyone knows, he is not able to say it. That is the reality."
"If the prime minister says it then he (Trump) will say openly and will lay bear the truth so that is why the PM is not able to say anything," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Gandhi said Trump is making the remarks to put pressure on the Indian government for the trade deal.
"Now, you see what kind of trade deal happens," he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the PM doesn't have the guts to tell Trump that he is lying and it seems that "daal mein kuch kala hai (there is something fishy)".
"Our policy has been that we have never accepted any sort of mediation by a third party in negotiations and it is unacceptable to us even today. Why did they agree, what were the reasons, they should tell the country," Kharge told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
"He (Modi) did not even take Trump's name even once in his two-hour speech. Modi ji doesn't have the courage to say that 'Trump is lying and we shall not tolerate such nonsense'. They don't have the courage to say this. He should have condemned Trump's remarks and said that he is trying to distort the image of the country," Kharge said.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday on Air Force One on his way back to Washington from Scotland, Trump repeated the claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan.
Tagging a video of Trump's latest remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "This is President Trump yet again - After the PM's intervention yesterday in the Lok Sabha where he deflected and diverted the main issue."
"Why is the PM simply refusing to unequivocally and categorically deny what his good friend Donald Trump has now said 30 times in the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UK? The answer is clear. Mr. Narendra Modi is on a very weak wicket and has much to cover up," Ramesh said on X.
Asked about Trump repeating his claims, Priyanka Gandhi said, "If you hear the words used by the prime minister and the external affairs minister carefully, they are vague. They should say it directly. Rahul ji said yesterday also, he (Modi) should say that the US president is lying. He should say it in Parliament."
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Trump is coiled around Modi like a snake. And yesterday, Rahul Gandhi handed him the perfect chance to wriggle out of the mess. Just say Trump was lying about the ceasefire."
"Simple, right? But no. Modi is allergic to taking Rahul ji's advice. And voila, today the snake is back, coiled tighter than ever, hissing bitter truths into Modi's ear," Khera said on X.
Asked about reports that India is preparing to face higher US tariffs between 20-25 per cent, Trump on Tuesday replied, "Ya, I think so."
Trump described Prime Minister Modi as a friend.
“And you know, they ended the war with Pakistan at my request, and that was great. And Pakistan did also…we did a lot of, a lot of great settlements, including the recent one, as you know, with Cambodia,” Trump said.
He again repeated the claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan.
In a no-holds-barred attack in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had dared Prime Minister Modi to categorically rebut US President Trump's India-Pakistan ceasefire claims.
"If Modi ji has even 50 per cent of the courage that Indira Gandhi had, then clearly he must say in Parliament -- Donald Trump is lying," he had said.
Modi, who spoke after Gandhi, affirmed that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor but lamented that while the nation got support from the entire world, the Congress and its allies could not stand behind the valour of the nation's soldiers.
Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim on several occasions that he helped settle the tensions between India and Pakistan.
However, India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.
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Modi govt by changing name of MGNREGA exposed its 'hatred' towards Gandhi: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attempting to change the name and structure of the MGNREGA, has itself exposed its "hatred" towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi.
He also accused the Centre of "altering" the very structure of the scheme, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, and called Modi "anti federal".
Suggesting that the NDA government at the Centre start a "Ministry of Name Change", with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio, the CM warned of a statewide agitation against this name change move.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
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"The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is attempting to change the name and structure of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), has itself exposed its hatred towards the poor and towards Mahatma Gandhi," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
Implemented by the UPA government 20 years ago, the MGNREGA scheme has played a crucial role in eradicating unemployment and poverty in rural areas, he said, adding that "this scheme, which guarantees the right to employment to every individual, has received praise from economists both in India and abroad."
Noting that MGNREGA was a genuine form of employment guarantee, the CM said the proposed new structure under the Modi government strips away that guarantee and places the assurance of work at the whims of political leaders.
"This will further deepen caste discrimination and social inequality," he claimed.
Highlighting that the NDA government has altered the very structure of MGNREGA, a scheme whose entire expenditure was earlier borne by the Central government, by shifting nearly 40 per cent of the cost onto the state governments, Siddaramaiah said this stands as clear evidence of the "anti-federal attitude" that Prime Minister Modi has followed ever since coming to power.
"This move will also increase the migration of poor people in search of work as the proposed form does not guarantee employment in their own location -- forcing families to travel long distances to survive," he said.
Naming this scheme after Mahatma Gandhi, who sowed the dream of Gram Swaraj, was a meaningful decision, the CM said, "While Prime Minister Narendra Modi indulges in praising Gandhi during his foreign tours, within the country he has consistently engaged in attempts to erase Gandhi's legacy from key national programmes. From a parivar that seeks to glorify Gandhi's assassin Godse, what different conduct can one really expect?"
"Narendra Modi is widely known for simply changing the names of landmark schemes launched by the UPA government rather than preserving or strengthening them. It would be more appropriate for this government to start a 'Ministry of Name Change,' with the Prime Minister himself holding that portfolio," he said.
More than 25 flagship programmes launched during earlier governments were merely renamed or repackaged by the present regime, the CM further said, listing out that the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan was rechristened as the Swachh Bharat Mission, while the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account scheme was rebranded as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, among others.
"These changes reflect a consistent pattern of altering names rather than fundamentally strengthening or expanding the original intent of these welfare initiatives," he added.
Stating that the Congress party and state government strongly condemn this "anti-people" decision of the Narendra Modi government, which has snatched food from the plates of the poor, insulted Bapu, and attempted to strangle state governments financially, Siddaramaiah warned about launching a statewide agitation against this move.
"The responsibility of preserving the MGNREGA scheme in its original form must also be taken up by the lakhs of beneficiaries of the scheme. They must hold the BJP leaders of the state accountable and exert pressure on them to raise their voices against this injustice, rising above party lines," he said.
