'66 days, 23 reiterations': Congress says PM Modi must come clean on Trump's India-Pak 'ceasefire' claims

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also underlined the Opposition's agenda for the Monsoon Session of Parliament. (File: PTI)

The Congress party on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify on US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan in both Houses during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Tagging a post carrying Trump's remarks on a trade deal in the works with India, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said that the nation wants to know about the US president's role in the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

"Today the score stands at 66 days, 23 reiterations...Parliament will resume from July 21st. The score will no doubt change before then. But the PM has to answer clearly in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The nation wants to know," he said in a post on X, tagging the video with Trump's remarks.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Ramesh reiterated the demand and said all Opposition parties are united and want the Prime Minister to speak on the conversation he had with President Trump.

"US President Donald Trump has said that he was responsible for the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan and stopped Operation Sindoor...All the opposition parties are united and we want the Prime Minister to speak on the conversation that took place between the US President Donald Trump and him...No action has been taken against the terrorists who were responsible for the Pahalgam terrorist attack," Ramesh said.

On Monday, Trump repeated his claim of "stopping" the India-Pakistan conflict through trade and claimed credit for what could have turned into a full scale "nuclear war".

Since announcing on May 10 that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire" after talks initiated by Washington, Trump has repeated these claims several times.

India, on the other hand, maintains that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.

The remarks by the Congress' Rajya Sabha MP come ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament which is scheduled to be held from July 21 to August 12. Notably, the Opposition plans to raise a slew of contentious issues in its bid to corner the government, setting the stage for another stormy session.

Besides seeking the Prime Minister's clarification on Trump's claims, the Opposition also plans to demand a discussion on the recent Air India crash and the preliminary probe that appears to attribute blame to the two deceased pilots.

Jairam Ramesh said that the Opposition will also raise the issue of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, an exercise it claims could lead to several genuine voters being disenfranchised.

"The constitutional rights of the voters are being snatched...The matter is pending before the Supreme Court...It is not the responsibility of the Election Commission to prove citizenship. Why is this exercise being conducted four to five months before the assembly polls?... There is an atmosphere of fear in Bihar," the Congress functionary said.