ISLAMABAD: India's National Congress, the leading opposition party in the country, has launched a sharp political offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing him of failing to safeguard the country’s national interests during his recent interactions with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
In a statement issued by the party’s foreign affairs department, the party said that Modi could have leveraged the event to assert India’s role in the Global South.
The statement was widely covered in the Indian media, which criticized PM Modi's failure to defend the country's interests during his interaction with US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, near Switzerland, on June 15-17.
“The Congress had hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would leverage the G7 Summit in France as an opportunity to assert India’s leadership role in the Global South and stridently defend India’s energy sovereignty, economic interests, and strategic autonomy. Instead, the Summit exposed a troubling gap between rhetoric and results,” said the Indian Congress Party statement.
Congress alleged that Modi missed an opportunity to firmly reject Trump’s repeated claims regarding his role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the recent military tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Congress questions Modi’s silence
The controversy erupted after Trump once again claimed that trade considerations helped bring about a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.
Congress leaders argued that the Prime Minister should have publicly contradicted the US President’s assertions and defended India’s long-standing position that bilateral issues with Pakistan are resolved without third-party mediation.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Modi had failed to protect India’s diplomatic interests and questioned why the Prime Minister did not issue a stronger rebuttal during the G7 engagements.
According to Congress, Trump’s repeated statements undermine India’s official stance on Kashmir and regional security matters.
National interest above personal diplomacy
The opposition further argued that personal rapport with world leaders should not come at the expense of national interests.
Congress leaders stated that friendship with foreign leaders cannot override the need to defend India’s established diplomatic positions.
Former Union minister Salman Khurshid also weighed in on the debate, emphasizing that national interest must remain paramount in foreign policy decisions.
His remarks were widely circulated on social media as the political dispute intensified.
Congress criticises government’s Israel policy
Separately, Congress accused the Modi government of pursuing a “blind devotion” to Israel amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
The party argued that India’s traditional foreign policy has historically maintained balanced relations across the region and said New Delhi should adopt a more nuanced approach.
Congress leaders maintained that India’s strategic interests require engagement with all major stakeholders in the Middle East rather than appearing aligned with a single side.
