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News18
30-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Govt Slams Rahul Gandhi's 'Trump Liar' Dare As Immature, Reaffirms Strong US Ties: Sources
Last Updated: 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.
India Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Opinion: The disgrace of trolling Vikram Misri
An official carries out his duty, a policy decision is announced, and a digital lynch mob descends. This time, the target was Vikram Misri, India's Foreign Secretary, a man who has served the nation with distinction for over three decades. His crime? Announcing a 'mutual understanding' to stop fire or the ceasefire. Not deciding policy. Not negotiating a treaty. Simply doing his job—communicating the government's stance. And for this, Misri was subjected to one of the most disgraceful waves of online vitriol India has seen in recent memory. Trolled, doxxed, his family targeted, his personal dignity shredded—all for carrying out a professional Misri's credentials speak for themselves. From handling the Doklam crisis in Beijing, to steering diplomacy during Myanmar's military coup, to shaping national security policy as Deputy NSA—his record is impeccable. Fluent in multiple languages, respected in global diplomatic circles, Misri is the embodiment of civil service downright. That such a man could be so viciously attacked is a national unfolded after the ceasefire announcement was not legitimate dissent or policy criticism—it was a witch-hunt. Misri was labelled a 'traitor' and a 'deshdrohi,' accused of selling the nation short, even as it remained clear to anyone with a basic understanding of governance that he was not the decision-maker. The attacks quickly devolved from misinformed outrage into pure malice, targeting not just Misri, but his family. His daughter was doxxed, misogynistic abuse was hurled at her, and what began as national debate collapsed into personal was a decision taken by a political collective in national interest. While opposition leaders, retired diplomats, and civil society—stepped in to support Misri, we are yet to see an official word from the government to counter the poison being spread online against Misri and his is not just about Vikram Misri. It's about every civil servant who may one day find themselves caught in the crosshairs of populist fury. It's about the line between disagreement and defamation, between public accountability and personal destruction. When a bureaucrat becomes a scapegoat for decisions made in political offices, something fundamental is like Asaduddin Owaisi, Shashi Tharoor, and Akhilesh Yadav spoke out. Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao condemned the attacks. Associations representing IAS and IPS officers voiced a time when digital mobs can ruin reputations overnight, letting online hate fester, unchallenged and unanswered, is to tell a civil servant: you are on your is a dangerous precedent. The bureaucracy is meant to be neutral, professional, and protected from political intimidation. Government servants should be defended and protected. In fact, in all this, Vikram Misri did not flinch. He did not issue public rebuttals or stoke drama. He simply locked his account on X—a quiet act of retreat, but one that speaks volumes about the cost of undeserved owes its civil servants better. We owe them clarity, dignity, and, above all, protection when they come under unfair attack. If we cannot guarantee that, we risk hollowing out the very institutions that keep the country running—silently, competently, and without time to draw a line. Public discourse can be passionate, even fierce—but it cannot descend into mob justice, or in this case online lynching. Leadership, must mean standing up not only when it's convenient, but when it truly matters.
