Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : A major political firestorm has erupted in India, with opposition parties launching a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government following a controversial claim made by former US President Donald Trump.
The controversy stems from a statement made by Trump during a G20 summit meeting, where he alleged that Prime Minister Modi had asked him to act as a mediator in the long-standing Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
This claim directly contradicts India's decades-long and steadfast foreign policy position that the Kashmir issue is strictly a bilateral matter with Pakistan, with no scope for third-party mediation, a stance rooted in the 1972 Simla Agreement.
Leading the charge, the Congress party and other opposition leaders have seized upon Trump's comments to question the Prime Minister's integrity and demand an immediate clarification. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi publicly demanded that PM Modi "tell the nation what transpired" between him and the US President. Similarly, senior leader Shashi Tharoor expressed concern, suggesting that if the Prime Minister did not make such a request, he should have forcefully refuted Trump's claim on the spot.
In response, the government has vehemently denied the claim. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made a definitive statement in Parliament, asserting that Prime Minister Modi had made no such request to President Trump and reiterated that India's position on Kashmir remains unchanged.
The incident has escalated into a significant political dispute, focusing on the credibility of the Prime Minister's office and the consistency of India's foreign policy. The opposition continues to leverage Trump's statement to corner the government, while the administration stands by its official denial.
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