PM Modi’s ‘good friend’ Trump makes a new claim; Jairam Ramesh says it’s the result of ‘forced hugs’

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticized the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, saying that Trump has claimed 70 times that he stopped Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025. In a post on X, Ramesh said that until the day before, Trump had claimed his involvement in stopping the operation 68 times, which suddenly increased to 70 during the initial statement and later during the Q&A session at the White House press conference. Ramesh wrote, “Until yesterday, this number was 68. However, yesterday, this figure didn’t just reach 69, but jumped straight to 70, during the initial statement and later during the Q&A session at the White House press conference.” The Congress leader also took a dig at Prime Minister Modi’s welcoming gesture of hugging Trump. Ramesh further said, “The Prime Minister’s ‘good friend’, who has also had to endure the Prime Minister’s forced hugs several times, has claimed so many times that he alone was responsible for the sudden and unexpected halt of Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025.” This incident comes after a document titled “365 Days of 365 Wins” was released by the White House on Tuesday (local time), which describes the achievements of US President Donald Trump’s first year in his second term. In this document, under the section “Re-establishing American Leadership on the World Stage,” Trump’s repeated claim of “brokering a ceasefire” between India and Pakistan is listed as one of his major successes. Later, when Trump addressed the press on completing one year in office, he reiterated his claim. However, this time he increased the number of aircraft shot down in the conflict from seven to eight. He said, “In 10 months, I ended eight wars that were supposedly unwinnable. Pakistan and India. They were literally fighting each other. Eight planes were shot down. In my opinion, they were about to develop nuclear weapons. The Prime Minister of Pakistan was here, and he said, ‘President Trump saved the lives of 10 million people,’ and perhaps even more.”