India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has come under significant fire from opposition parties and generated widespread discussion on social media following a contentious exchange with a foreign journalist. The journalist’s line of questioning centered on the alleged involvement of the United States and President Donald Trump in de-escalating recent hostilities between India and Pakistan, as reported by The News on Sunday.
During the interview, the journalist repeatedly pressed Jaishankar on whether Trump had played a role in easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. The questioning grew more direct as the reporter inquired, “Have you arrested the killers of the 26 people in Pahalgam? Is an operation underway to apprehend them? What role did the US play in this entire process?”
While Jaishankar acknowledged a US contribution to defusing the situation, his responses were widely perceived as evasive. At one point, he stated that the US “was in the United States during the process.” The exchange quickly went viral on Indian social media, with supporters of the ruling BJP—often labeled as ‘bhakt trolls’—praising Jaishankar’s handling of the interview. However, opposition parties, particularly the Indian National Congress, have capitalized on the moment to highlight what they perceive as the government’s lack of transparency and accountability.
The Congress party posted a short clip of the interview on its social media accounts, drawing attention to Jaishankar’s apparent discomfort when the journalist raised the issue of “Operation Sindoor.” “Why is the foreign minister’s tongue [language] failing?” the Congress questioned on X (formerly Twitter). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took to social media to challenge the government, writing on X: “Who invited the US president to mediate? Why has not a single major country voiced support for us? Why is the Modi government still silent on these issues?”
The controversy partly stems from a May 10 post by US President Donald Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, in which he announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire. While Pakistan seemed to confirm this development, India has offered mixed signals, alternately acknowledging and denying Washington’s role in the mediation.
The Congress party has seized upon this ambiguity, intensifying its criticism of both the BJP government and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on Saturday, the party contrasted Rahul Gandhi’s and PM Modi’s actions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and “Operation Sindoor,” terming it a case of “One Nation, Two Leaders.”
The Indian Congress party’s post on social media platform X, dated May 24, 2025, read: “After the Pahalgam Attack: LoP Rahul Gandhi ji rushed to Kashmir, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the grieving families of victims… PM Modi, on the other hand, was clearly absent. He skipped an all-party meeting… and was seen mingling with Bollywood stars.”
The party continued its critique by contrasting Modi’s and Gandhi’s responses to “Operation Sindoor.” While Gandhi called for a special parliamentary session and questioned the ceasefire and the government’s trust in Pakistan, the party alleged that Modi remained silent on Trump’s role and instead delivered “scripted Bollywood-style dialogues like ‘Garam Sindoor’.” The statement concluded by highlighting Gandhi’s visit to Poonch to support victims of cross-border shelling, while accusing Modi of using the operation for self-promotion. “The Difference is clear. Two leaders — One chooses empathy and accountability, and the other turns the nation’s crisis into a personal campaign,” the party declared.
