Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of giving up India’s strategic independence and allowing the country’s key decisions to be shaped by US President Donald Trump. His remarks came amid a series of major announcements related to India–US relations that have been made from Washington, triggering political discomfort back home.
In a strongly worded post on X, Ramesh claimed that important developments on India’s security, trade and energy policies were being revealed by the US President instead of the Indian government. He said this showed how much influence Washington now had over New Delhi under the Modi government.
Referring to Trump’s repeated claims about “Operation Sindoor”, Ramesh said the US President had announced from Washington that the operation was halted after American intervention to prevent an India–Pakistan conflict. “He announced the halt of Operation Sindoor from Washington DC,” Ramesh wrote, questioning why such sensitive information did not come from Indian authorities. He said this raised serious concerns about India’s sovereignty and transparency in decision making.
Ramesh also pointed to Trump’s statements on India’s oil imports. He noted that updates about India stopping the purchase of Russian crude and allegedly shifting to Venezuelan oil were first made public by Trump. These claims, he said, were not immediately confirmed by the Indian government. According to Ramesh, this added to the Opposition’s argument that India’s energy policy was being influenced by external pressure.
The Congress leader said the immediate trigger for his criticism was Trump’s latest announcement about an upcoming India–US trade deal. Trump has suggested that the deal could involve a significant reduction in tariffs to around 18 per cent. “He has now announced an India–US trade deal from Washington, the full details of which are awaited,” Ramesh said, asking why such a major economic decision was being communicated by a foreign leader instead of India’s own leadership.
Taking a personal dig at the Prime Minister, Ramesh claimed that Trump appeared to have clear leverage over Modi. “President Trump clearly seems to have some leverage over Prime Minister Modi,” he wrote, adding that the Prime Minister now seemed uncomfortable even being seen with the US President. “It appears PM Modi has capitulated finally,” Ramesh said, sarcastically adding, “Surely this cannot be the father of all deals.”
Ending his post with a pop culture reference, Ramesh invoked the famous Bollywood line “Mogambo Khush Hai” from the film Mr. India, portraying Trump as a triumphant figure enjoying dominance over India–US relations. “In Washington clearly ‘Mogambo Khush Hai’,” he remarked.
Ramesh’s comments came shortly after a phone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump earlier on Monday. Following the call, Trump once again spoke publicly about Operation Sindoor, India’s oil import decisions and the long pending trade agreement between the two countries. With repeated announcements coming from Washington rather than New Delhi, the Opposition has intensified its criticism, questioning whether India’s foreign policy and economic decisions are increasingly being shaped outside the country.
