The Congress party on Thursday intensified its criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, escalating the controversy sparked by Rahul Gandhi’s “Narender surrender” jibe. This renewed attack took the form of a social media post featuring former US President Donald Trump’s iconic red “Make America Great Again” cap, altered to display the words “Narender Surrender.” The image was a direct reference to Gandhi’s accusation that PM Modi agreed to a ceasefire with Pakistan following a call from Trump.
The controversy first erupted on Tuesday when Rahul Gandhi, speaking at the launch of the Congress party’s Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan in Bhopal, alleged that Modi had bowed to pressure from the United States. Gandhi claimed, “Trump made one gesture from there (the US), picked up the call and said, ‘Modiji, what are you doing? Narender surrender.’ And Modiji said ‘yes sir’ and followed Trump’s instructions.”
Gandhi further criticised the BJP and RSS, accusing them of lacking the courage to resist pressure. He said, “I know BJP-RSS people; if you put even a little pressure and give them just a slight push, they run away out of fear.” Gandhi contrasted this behavior with that of former Congress leaders, recalling the 1971 war when the US Seventh Fleet came to the region, yet Indira Gandhi stood firm. “You would remember when the phone call had not come, the seventh fleet came in 1971 war. Seventh fleet came, arms came, aircraft carriers came, but Indira Gandhi said ‘I will do what I want.’ This is the difference,” he said.
Supporting Gandhi’s remarks, Congress leader Pawan Khera told reporters, “Don’t assume that India is Narendra or Narendra is India. He makes grand speeches but ends up surrendering. Just days ago, they talked about China, and now, not even once is China uttered.”
The BJP responded sharply to Gandhi’s allegations. Party leader Pradip Bhandari stated, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, India has given a befitting reply to Pakistan’s terror masters. From Salman Khurshid to Shashi Tharoor, every Congress leader is talking about this and Pakistan itself is giving evidence of this... The people of the country see this uncivilised Rahul Gandhi as an agent of Pakistan.”
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also criticised the Congress, saying, “There is also a limit to stupidity and opposition! There’s nobody in Congress Party to tell him that being in the Opposition Party does not mean, to oppose the nation?”
BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted on X, “History will remember: From Doklam to Pahalgam, whenever India stood united to defend its sovereignty and rise as a global power, Rahul Gandhi, true to the legacy of his lineage, chose to stand with forces opposed to India’s political and economic resurgence.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is currently leading an all-party delegation to the US and other countries as part of India’s global outreach following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, adopted a more measured tone. Responding to a question about Gandhi’s comments, Tharoor stated that India did not need external persuasion to halt conflict.
“India didn’t need persuasion to stop. No one needed to tell us to stop because we were telling them the moment Pakistan stops, we are prepared to stop. So if they, in turn, told the Pakistani, ‘You better stop because the Indians are willing to stop’ and that was what they did. And that’s a wonderful gesture on their part,” he said. Tharoor added, “We have no real difficulty speaking the same language as the Pakistanis, as long as they use the language of terrorism. We will use the language of force, and that doesn’t require a third party.”
He also emphasised India’s “much more important strategic partnership” with the United States, saying, “We have enormous respect for the US,” but declined to dwell on the details of the ceasefire discussions.
Also Read: Terrorism emanating from across the border, says Tharoor in US
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