New Delhi: The Congress sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, accusing him of compromising India’s military momentum against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack by allegedly agreeing to a ceasefire under pressure from former US President Donald Trump.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “Don’t assume that India is Narendra or Narendra is India. He makes grand speeches but ends up surrendering.” Khera’s comment took aim at what the Congress sees as Modi’s diminishing political authority in the face of international pressure.
The phrase was a pointed twist on the infamous 1970s slogan “Indira is India, India is Indira,” once used to describe Indira Gandhi’s political dominance. But this time, it was used to criticize what the opposition calls Modi’s submissiveness in crucial diplomatic and military decisions.
Khera reiterated the party’s allegation that Prime Minister Modi surrendered India’s strategic edge after Operation Sindoor, which saw India strike 11 military installations deep within Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. According to Khera, India was in a commanding position on May 10 when the ceasefire was suddenly announced.
“On the afternoon of May 10, when our army had Pakistan by the throat, Trump called, saying ‘Narendra, surrender’, and he meekly surrendered,” Khera alleged, echoing the now-viral jibe made earlier by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Parliament.
While India maintains that the ceasefire was the result of direct bilateral negotiations with Pakistan and not influenced by the United States, the Congress has been demanding that PM Modi publicly respond to Trump’s earlier claims that his threat to cut trade relations was what prompted India and Pakistan to stand down.
“There is no booster shot for bravery,” Khera remarked. “For 11 years, bhakts projected one image of Modi. But when the real test came, what emerged was Narendra’s surrender.”
