Congress on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to raise the killing of three Indian seafarers in a US military strike with US President Donald Trump during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. The opposition party alleged that the government's mantra is 'PR first' and not 'nation first'.
Congress leader's allegations
Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera claimed that Modi sat with his gaze lowered before Trump, addressing him as 'excellency', which he described as embarrassing. Khera said that the US killed three Indian sailors, yet Trump did not even express regret because Modi sat there meekly, content with the praise he was receiving.
Khera further stated that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar returned after being reprimanded by Marco Rubio, while Modi returned after hearing praise for his skin. He asserted that this is not 'nation first' but 'PR first'.
Comparison with previous Congress governments
Khera cited the responses of former prime ministers Manmohan Singh during the Devyani Khobragade case in 2013 and Indira Gandhi to argue that previous Congress governments had given primacy to the nation's interest when speaking with America. He said that Manmohan Singh's message to the US regarding the Khobragade case astonished the entire world.
Khera also mentioned that the UPA government succeeded in placing Pakistan on the FATF 'grey list', while today, Modi's 'friend' Trump invites Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to dinner following Operation Sindoor.
Historical context
Khera further said that in 1986, Voice of America wanted to set up a transmitter in Sri Lanka, right next to the Indian coast, but Rajiv Gandhi did not allow it. He alleged that it took 200 years to drive out the British, but in just 12 years, Modi has brought back servitude.
Khera listed three outcomes from the Modi-Trump meeting: the US renamed the US Indo-Pacific Command back to US Pacific Command; the US depicted the PoK region as part of Pakistan on a map; and the US State Department suspended EB-2 and EB-5 visas for Indians in the July 2026 visa bulletin.
Missed opportunities
Khera said that Modi did not raise the issue of the killing of Indian sailors, discuss the one-sided US trade deal, or bring up Trump's 'Operation Sindoor' ceasefire claims. He urged Modi to learn from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on how to give a firm response.
Khera also referred to the US torpedoing and sinking the 'IRIS Dena', a vessel that was India's guest, and said Modi did not raise this issue with Trump.
Modi's response
In his public remarks, Modi raised the issue of the safety of seafarers with Trump, saying that the security of lakhs of Indian seafarers is equally important and expressed confidence that the deal with Iran would have provisions for their security. Trump described the meeting as 'great' and heaped praise on Modi.
