New Delhi, October 23: India’s opposition Congress party on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of concealing details of his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, after the American leader again claimed that New Delhi was sharply reducing its oil imports from Russia.
The criticism came after Trump said during a White House interaction that he had spoken to Modi earlier in the day to extend Deepavali greetings and discuss trade and global issues. Trump told reporters that Modi “is not going to buy much oil from Russia” and “wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine end,” adding that India had “cut it way back” on Russian crude purchases.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said this was the fourth time in six days that the U.S. president had publicly announced aspects of India’s foreign or security policy. “The PM has finally acknowledged publicly that President Trump called him up and that the two spoke to each other. But all that the PM has said is that the U.S. President extended Diwali greetings. While Mr. Modi conceals, Mr. Trump reveals,” Ramesh wrote on social media platform X.
He also recalled that Trump had previously disclosed the suspension of “Operation Sindoor” before Modi did, arguing that the pattern raised questions about transparency in government communication.
In a brief post on X, Modi confirmed the call and thanked Trump for his “warm Diwali greetings,” saying, “On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms.”
The latest exchange comes at a time of uneasy U.S.-India relations, strained by trade tariffs and differences over New Delhi’s continued energy dealings with Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump and Modi have maintained a cordial relationship, with both leaders often describing each other as personal friends. But Trump’s repeated public remarks on India’s foreign policy have sparked political debate in New Delhi over diplomatic discretion and sovereignty.
