‘Learn how to respond from Giorgia Meloni’: Congress attacks PM Modi over Trump meeting | News from India

Pawan Khera lashes out at PM Modi over his G7 meeting with Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not raise key issues during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit, including the deaths of Indian sailors, the unilateral trade deal with the US and Operation Sindoor ceasefire demands made by Trump.Khera said Prime Minister Modi should learn from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on how to respond with confidence.“Narendra Modi does not want to learn from Indira Gandhi ji; at the very least, learn from Giorgia Meloni ji how to respond with complete confidence,” he said.

Death of Indian sailors

Three Indian sailors were killed when the US military struck the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, accusing it of violating the US blockade on Iranian ports. The victims were identified as Aditya Sharma, a cadet, Shivanand Chaurashiya, a fitter, and Patnala Suresh, a chief engineer.India’s foreign ministry summoned US charge d’affaires Jason Meeks and lodged a “strong protest” over the deaths. In a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had expressed its “deepest concerns regarding ongoing incidents of attacks” on ships with Indian crews.Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Contrary to Khera’s statements, during the G7 meeting on June 17, Prime Minister Modi directly raised the issue, pointing out that hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals work on ships across the world. “Their security is of utmost importance to us,” PM Modi said.However, Trump’s response was brief: “It’s a tough job.” There is no doubt about it. And we’re working on it together.”

The bilateral trade agreement

Trade relations between India and the United States have been a source of tension, with the Trump administration imposing high tariffs on Indian exports, in part because of New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Discussions on a broader bilateral trade deal are ongoing, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor saying in early June that 99 percent of the proposed interim deal had been finalized.Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the two sides had finalized most of the elements of the first phase, with negotiations focused on a few minor issues. A US trade delegation led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch was in New Delhi from June 2 to 4 for negotiations.At the G7 meeting, Trump said a new deal was “very close” and described Modi as a “tough” negotiator. However, Khera claimed that Modi did not challenge the unilateral nature of the deal. Foreign Minister Vikram Misri later said the trade deal was a key priority of the meeting because it had “created a kind of uncertainty over the past year.”

Operation Sindoor calls for a ceasefire

Operation Sindoor was India’s cross-border military response to an attack on the tourist resort of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 people. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, which Islamabad denied.India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with “Operation Bunyanun Marsoos” (Iron Wall), targeting military sites in Indian-administered Kashmir and inside mainland India.After four days of air attacks, Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10. India maintained that the cessation of hostilities was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said India had made it clear to all countries, including the United States, that if Pakistan wanted the firing to stop, it should inform the Indian general.The issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism did not figure in the official minutes of the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Trump. Misri said the format of these engagements did not always allow for detailed discussion on each issue, adding that India’s concerns over cross-border terrorism were “well known to our US partners”.

Trump on BRICS, India’s response

Trump has repeatedly criticized the BRICS group, calling it an “attack” on the US dollar and threatening to impose additional tariffs on member countries, including India. He claimed his tariff threats had forced countries to withdraw from the bloc, declaring that “BRICS is dead.”India, which holds the BRICS presidency in 2026, has adopted a more moderate stance. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said last year that India had “no plans” for a BRICS currency, and Jaishankar stressed that dedollarization was not on India’s agenda.At the G7 meeting, Khera claimed that Trump spoke about “weakening BRICS”, but PM Modi was unable to respond. However, Misri later indicated that the leaders focused on pressing issues, particularly the trade deal, rather than a detailed discussion on each topic.