Indo-US trade deal: Congress fires salvo at Donald Trump’s fresh claims

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of surrendering India’s strategic autonomy to the will of US President Donald Trump, as a string of Washington-origin announcements on India–US ties stirred political unease at home.

In a sharply worded post on his official X handle, Ramesh painted a picture of New Delhi being increasingly dictated to from across the Atlantic. He argued that a cascade of major policy revelations — from security-related claims to trade and energy decisions — were being unveiled not by the Indian government, but by President Trump from Washington, underscoring what he described as America’s growing leverage over the Modi government.

The Congress leader pointed to Trump’s assertions that “Operation Sindoor” — a term the US President has invoked repeatedly, often suggesting the averting of an India–Pakistan confrontation under American pressure — was halted following US intervention. “He announced the halt of Operation Sindoor from Washington DC,” Ramesh wrote, underlining that such declarations did not emanate from New Delhi, thereby raising troubling questions about transparency and sovereignty.

Ramesh further flagged Trump’s public comments on India’s energy choices, noting that updates on India’s oil purchases from Russia and Venezuela were also first disclosed in Washington. According to Trump, India had stopped buying Russian oil amid US sanctions and instead turned to Venezuelan crude — claims that were not immediately corroborated by Indian authorities, giving fresh ammunition to the Opposition’s charge of external dictation.

The immediate provocation, Ramesh said, was Trump’s latest announcement of an impending India–US trade deal, reportedly involving a steep tariff reduction to around 18 per cent. “He has now announced an India–US Trade Deal from Washington, the full details of which are awaited,” Ramesh noted, questioning why such consequential economic decisions were being telegraphed by a foreign leader rather than India’s own leadership.

In a stinging personal swipe, Ramesh suggested that Trump now wielded unmistakable influence over the Prime Minister. “President Trump clearly seems to have some leverage over Prime Minister Modi — who is now mortified of even being seen with him, let alone engage in the usual bout of hugs. It appears PM Modi has capitulated finally,” he wrote, adding caustically, “Surely this cannot be the father of all deals.”

Ramesh capped his critique with a pop-culture flourish, invoking the iconic line “Mogambo Khush Hai” from the 1987 Bollywood classic Mr. India. The reference, widely read as a jibe at Trump, cast the US President in the role of a triumphant villain reveling in dominance over bilateral equations. “In Washington clearly ‘Mogambo Khush Hai’,” Ramesh remarked.

The Congress leader’s attack follows a phone conversation between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump earlier on Monday, after which Trump renewed his claims about shaping outcomes related to “Operation Sindoor,” India’s oil import strategy, and the long-anticipated trade agreement aimed at settling tariff disputes. With key announcements repeatedly surfacing from Washington rather than New Delhi, the Opposition has seized on the moment to question whether India’s foreign and economic policy is being scripted abroad.

With IANS inputs