
Govt Slams Rahul Gandhi's 'Trump Liar' Dare As Immature, Reaffirms Strong US Ties: Sources
Emphasising the depth of the bilateral relationship, sources cited US support to India during the Doklam crisis as a key example of the trust between the two nations
Senior government sources have hit back at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly call US President Donald Trump a 'liar" in Parliament over his past ceasefire claims between India and Pakistan.
'It's adolescent on the part of Rahul to say the PM should call Trump a liar on the floor of the House," a top government source said, adding that PM Modi had already clarified the matter by stating that 'no world leader asked India to stop the war."
Sources also underlined that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had previously informed Parliament that Trump and Modi never spoke regarding any such ceasefire, dismissing the claim altogether. They further pointed out that India and the US share a long-standing strategic partnership that goes beyond just trade negotiations.
'The Congress has been in power before, it should know how governments function," one official added, urging restraint in matters of foreign policy discourse.
Emphasising the depth of the bilateral relationship, sources cited US support to India during the Doklam crisis as a key example of the trust between the two nations, noting that reducing ties to a single statement undermines broader diplomatic realities.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier, during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor, accused the PM of lacking the courage to rebut Trump's repeated ceasefire claims and questioned India's foreign policy handling of the Pahalgam terror attack. He also criticised the government's terminology of a 'new normal" in counter-terror strategy, and cited Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir's visit to the US as evidence of diplomatic failure.
The Congress has been trying to corner Prime Minister Modi by citing Donald Trump's repeated claims, made 30 times, that he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan using trade as leverage.
The Prime Minister set the record straight on Tuesday.
'On May 9, US Vice-President JD Vance tried to speak to me 3-4 times for over an hour, but I was in a meeting. When I called him back, he said Pakistan will do a very big attack. I replied to him—if Pakistan has this intention, toh usse bahut mehnga padega (it will cost them dearly). I told Vance that we will do a bigger attack than Pakistan…that hum goli ka jawab gole se denge (we will respond to bullets with shells)," the Prime Minister told the Lok Sabha.
Earlier, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had informed Parliament that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi never spoke during Operation Sindoor, and highlighted how the Prime Minister remained firm during his call with JD Vance.
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rajya Sabha passes Coastal Shipping Bill amid disruptions
The Rajya Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill on Thursday (August 7, 2025) amid protests by Opposition members who were demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill during the Budget Session. Moving the Bill, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the legislation will reduce the compliance burden for Indian ships and will unlock the full potential of country's coastline. He said the Bill is also in tune with the concept of ease of doing business and ensures supply chain security for the country. 'It will unlock the full potential of India's coastline... To support the goal of growing India's coastal cargo share to 230 million tonne by 2030 we need a framework that minimises regulations while maximising facilitation of growth opportunity in coastal tracks,' Mr. Sonowal said. He said the Bill replaces the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958 and provides a holistic, forward looking and progressive framework suited to today's commercial realities in line with globally prevalent practices. About eight members participated in the brief debate on the Bill during the ruckus and Vice-Chairman Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was on the Chair, put the Bill to vote amid disruptions. Meanwhile, in the morning, the session of Rajya Sabha was shut down within minutes following protests from the Opposition demanding a debate on SIR. The Opposition parties had moved 25 notices asking for debate on various issues including the SIR. The Deputy Chairman rejected all the notices, leading to an uproar. Mr. Harivansh pointed out that 51 hours and 30 minutes have been lost to disturbances so far during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. He urged the protesting members to let the House function so that MPs could raise their issues through Zero Hour mentions. However, the Opposition did not relent, leading to adjournment of the proceedings till 2 pm.


The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
INDIA bloc decides to contest the Vice-Presidential polls
Leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have agreed in principle to field a candidate for the Vice-Presidential election even though the Opposition does not have the requisite numbers to win the election, in order to force a contest. The decision was taken at a dinner meeting of the bloc hosted by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. This was the first physical meeting of the INDIA bloc partners after a gap of 14 months. The last meeting was on June 1, 2024. The Election Commission notified the election on Thursday. Nominations have to be filed by August 21. The INDIA bloc leaders will address a joint rally in Bihar on the issue of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State. The Opposition had claimed that the SIR was an attempt to weed out many eligible voters. The meeting began with a 30-minute presentation by Mr. Gandhi, which he had shared earlier in the day at a press conference. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav briefed the leaders on how the SIR was unfolding in the State, pointing out the various discrepancies in the draft electoral roll published on August 1. During the course of his intervention, he informed the gathering that from August 10, the INDIA bloc will hit the streets in Bihar on the issue. This campaign is likely to conclude on September 1 with a public meeting, to which Mr. Yadav invited all INDIA bloc leaders. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah was the only other leader to speak during the presentation. He urged the Opposition to keep the pressure on the government to restore Statehood for J&K. Mr. Abdullah explained how J&K was not represented in the Rajya Sabha and how vacant seats in State Assembly were yet to be filled. He also urged the Opposition to protest Lt.-Governor Manoj Sinha's orders to ban books. After the presentation and dinner, a select group of leaders held a closed-door meeting on the Vice-Presidential election. This meeting was attended by the Congress's Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O' Brien, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Lok Sabha leader K. Kanimozhi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule, and others. At least one person familiar with the discussion at this meeting said that the Opposition must decide their candidate after waiting to see who the BJP picks. 'Since our fight against this government is centred around the campaign to save the Constitution, which has been under assault, our candidate should be someone, whether politician or academic, who embodies this ideological contest,' one of the leaders said.


India.com
26 minutes ago
- India.com
Donald Trump Tariffs News: Goa Minister Echoes Modi's 'India First' Stance, calls United States' move...
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped an additional 25 per cent tariff, raising it to 50 per cent, on goods coming from India as penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil, a move that is likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather exports hard. The United States has imposed this additional tariff or penalty for Russian imports only on India while other buyers such as China and Turkey have so far escaped such measures. The 30 per cent tariff on China and 15 per cent on Turkey is lower than India's 50 per cent. Reacting to this development, a senior minister from Goa has aligned closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'India First' approach, reaffirming the government's firm commitment to protect the interests of farmers, even as the United States escalates trade pressure with a massive 50% tariff. Vishwajit Rane echoed Modi's defiant tone. India's top leadership has slammed the move as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' vowing to take necessary steps to safeguard national priorities. In a statement delivered in Panaji, Vishwajit Rane emphasized that farming communities, dairy workers, and fishermen remain at the heart of government policy. 'We will not compromise their welfare, regardless of external pressures,' he declared, echoing PM Modi's earlier sentiment that he's 'ready to pay a heavy price' to ensure their well‑being. India on Trump's additional tariff In a statement, the MEA pointed out that several other countries are also making such procurements to protect their own national interest and hinted its disappointment for singling it out on the issue. The US president issued the executive order hitting India with an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods citing its continuing procurement of Russian crude oil. The additional tariff, to come into effect after 21 days, will increase the duties on some Indian goods to 50 per cent. The tariffs are likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather hard. 'We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' the MEA said. It said the US has in recent days 'targeted' India's oil imports from Russia. 'We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,' it said. 'It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest,' it added.