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The Congress party on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately convene an all-party meeting upon his return from his ongoing three-nation tour. The party said Modi must brief political leaders on his recent phone conversation with US President Donald Trump and take the country into confidence over what was discussed, especially concerning India’s security and foreign policy.

The demand comes amid escalating concerns in the opposition over perceived diplomatic setbacks. Congress also expressed alarm over reports that Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir was scheduled to have lunch with President Trump—a move the party called a “huge setback” to Indian diplomacy. It insisted that Modi should have voiced India’s displeasure to Trump over the invitation to Munir during their call.

#WATCH | Delhi: On his tweet on Pakistani Field Marshall Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh says, "He should have made the US President aware of the direct link between Asim Munir's inflammatory, incendiary, provocative, absolutely unacceptable… pic.twitter.com/YgNYmZOBkV

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, also called for the establishment of a “Pahalgam Review Committee” on the lines of the Kargil Review Committee, which was formed shortly after the 1999 Kargil War. He proposed that the new committee could be modeled on the earlier one chaired by K Subrahmanyam, father of current External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

In a conversation with mediapersons, Ramesh said Prime Minister Modi must directly address Parliament and rebut President Trump’s repeated claims that he used trade leverage to mediate a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Ramesh’s remarks follow Modi’s phone conversation with Trump, during which the Prime Minister reportedly clarified that India paused strikes on Pakistan only at Islamabad’s request—not as a result of US mediation or any proposed trade deal. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had briefed that Modi, in a 35-minute call with Trump on Tuesday, emphasized that India does not, and will never, accept third-party mediation in its bilateral matters.

#WATCH | Delhi: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh says, "...For 37 days, the PM did not say anything. Today, we are told that he had a 35-minute call with President Trump. There is a readout of what the PM is supposed to have said to President Trump. President Trump has also put out a… pic.twitter.com/ifPh6QNuLu

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025

On the issue of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Gen. Munir, Ramesh remarked, “This is a triple jhatka (shock) to Indian diplomacy. The same Gen. Munir, whose provocative and inflammatory remarks were linked to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, is now having a private lunch with the US President. He’s not even the head of the Pakistan government. This is deeply problematic.”

Ramesh further criticised the recent statement made by US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, who described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terror operations. He contrasted this with Pakistan’s record of harboring terrorists, including Osama Bin Laden, who was found and killed in Abbottabad in 2011. “How does Pakistan become a phenomenal partner? It’s a phenomenal perpetrator. To call a perpetrator a partner is another major diplomatic blow,” Ramesh stated.

The Congress leader added that the third blow to India’s diplomatic credibility was President Trump’s claim—repeated 14 times—that he was responsible for pausing India’s military operations against Pakistan. “Trump has said this on 14 occasions, yet the Prime Minister has remained silent since May 10,” Ramesh pointed out.

 

Also Read: Cong asks PM to hold debate in Parl on post-Pahalgam security

He questioned why Modi had not publicly rebutted these assertions and reiterated the need for the Prime Minister to share the details of the Trump call directly with the opposition and the public. “If he really told Trump that trade was not discussed and there’s no room for mediation, why hasn’t he said this in an all-party meeting or a special Parliament session?” Ramesh asked.

“He should immediately call an all-party meeting upon his return and explain exactly what the 35-minute phone call with President Trump entailed,” he said. According to Ramesh, it took the Prime Minister 37 days to respond to Trump’s repeated mediation claims. He emphasised that national interest demanded transparency, and the Prime Minister must personally address Parliament—not delegate the task to ministers or bureaucrats.

#WATCH | On FS Vikram Misri's statement on teleconversation between PM Modi and US President Trump, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh says, "Understand the 'triple jhatka' that the Indian foreign policy and diplomacy has received. Today Field Marshal Asim Munir whose prococtiave,… pic.twitter.com/xd38N9yEnL

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025

“I believe the scheduled lunch with Gen. Munir and Gen. Kurilla’s statement are massive setbacks to the Prime Minister’s diplomacy. The Modi government has relied too heavily on optics in foreign policy. This situation calls for substance and serious strategy,” Ramesh said. He stressed that there is “no substitute for taking the nation into confidence and building collective will and resolve.”

Taking a sharper political tone, Ramesh alleged that Modi behaves like a “divider-in-chief” and avoids engaging with opposition leaders even on critical matters of national interest. “Why isn’t he talking to the opposition parties? Why not say all this from his own mouth instead of through the Foreign Secretary? He must rebut Trump’s claims on the floor of the House,” Ramesh insisted.

 

Also Read: Congress slams Israel’s attack on Iran, urges peaceful talks

He also said that had a former leader like Indira Gandhi been in office, she would have unambiguously conveyed India’s displeasure to the US over the Trump-Munir lunch. “If Indira Gandhi were Prime Minister, she would have certainly voiced her disapproval—whether to Nixon or Reagan,” Ramesh said.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) before details of the Modi-Trump call emerged, Ramesh had pointed out that Trump had “trumpeted” 14 times that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, essentially claiming to have ended Operation Sindoor. He also flagged reports that Asim Munir, “the man whose inflammatory remarks were tied to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack,” was having lunch with Trump at the White House. Ramesh sarcastically added, “Is this why President Trump left the G7 Summit a day early—denying PM Modi a ‘huge hug’?”

Continuing his criticism, Ramesh referred to Gen. Kurilla’s praise of Pakistan as a “phenomenal” counter-terror partner, calling it a “triple jhatka to Howdy Modi by Namaste Trump.” “Indian diplomacy is being shattered while the Prime Minister stays silent. And tomorrow marks five years since his infamous ‘clean chit’ to China,” Ramesh concluded.

Last week, the Congress had accused the US of issuing statements that implied it was again placing India and Pakistan on the same footing. It urged Modi to shed his “stubbornness” and convene a special session of Parliament, along with an all-party meeting, to address these growing diplomatic concerns.

 

Also Read: Cong questions PM Modi's 'silence' on US outreach to Pak