Congress leader Manish Tewari called for Prime Minister Modi to address US President Trump's statements on the India-Pakistan situation and supported the government's actions against Pakistani terror infrastructure.
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00:00During Operation Sindhoor, we saw a rare consensus between the government and the opposition.
00:05Now that the operation is on pause or seems to be coming to an end,
00:08we seem to be seeing that consensus breaking down,
00:11particularly over the comments of the US President Donald Trump.
00:14The Congress wants Prime Minister to break his silence on Trump's comments,
00:18on ceasefire, on trade, on Kashmir.
00:21What is the Congress Party's stand then?
00:24Well, Rajdi, first of all, thank you very much for having me on your show.
00:30Unfortunately, the United States of America has a rather unusual president.
00:38And so therefore, you have a gentleman who believes that back-channeling is actually front-channeling.
00:47And so therefore, you've had a series of statements which have come out from him,
00:52starting with the social media post on 10th of May,
00:56which was then followed up by an official press release by the Department of State
01:02from the Secretary of State, Barker Rubio.
01:06And then during Mr. Trump's continuing tour of the Middle East, which is ending today,
01:14there have been a series of statements.
01:17So therefore, under those circumstances, it becomes difficult to discern
01:22as to what really is the import of those statements.
01:28Because if you analyze them one by one, you know, there seems to be variance,
01:36at times contradiction in those statements.
01:38But having said that, it's very well documented in strategic literature that whenever there is a crisis
01:49or there's a flashpoint between two nations, other people do get involved in crisis management
01:57and crisis mitigation.
01:59No, no, but you haven't answered my core question.
02:03Why is the Congress at the moment so anxious that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence
02:07and in a way take on Donald Trump?
02:09It's almost as if the opposition at the moment wants to shoot off Donald Trump's shoulders.
02:15Well, that's an absolutely erroneous read, Rajdi, for a better word.
02:20After all, the President of the United States of America is the President of the United States of America.
02:25And therefore, if there are certain statements emanating from him,
02:30even if there may be some inherent contradictions,
02:35obviously, what really is the reality is something which the government of India needs to articulate.
02:44For example, as I was earlier pointing out,
02:47had it stopped with President Trump's social media post of 10th of May 2025,
02:54as was the case on the 28th of February 2019,
02:59while addressing a presser in Hanoi.
03:02He said that both the nations would pull back.
03:06Things would have ended, as I was earlier pointing out,
03:10that the United States has an unusual president.
03:13But what was extremely unusual in this case
03:17was the follow-up statement by the Department of State,
03:23which is the Foreign Ministry of the United States of America,
03:27which carried a very, very,
03:30a very, if for the lack of a better word,
03:35a very pointed headline,
03:38saying U.S. brokered truce.
03:40So, therefore, under those circumstances,
03:45obviously, a rebuttal and putting the record straight
03:50should come from the political leadership.
03:54You know, let us raise the other big question, Manish Tiwari,
03:58that the opposition, particularly the Congress, is raising.
04:01Your party wants a special session of Parliament
04:03over what's happened over the last few weeks,
04:05Operation Sindur, Pehal Gaam.
04:07All allies are not on board.
04:09Some, like NCP, are saying there is no need
04:11for a special session.
04:12Why is the Congress Party insisting at this moment
04:14for a special session of Parliament?
04:17Well, Rajdeep, for the simple reason,
04:20whenever we've been confronted
04:21with a grave national security situation,
04:25Parliament, as the highest representative body
04:29of the Indian people,
04:31has discussed in detail
04:34and sent out a message
04:37of national solidarity and unity.
04:40It happened when the Chinese aggression
04:43had taken place in 1962.
04:46I remember, if I recall correctly,
04:49from the 7th of November 1962
04:52till the 16th of November 1962,
04:55both houses of Parliament,
04:57Lok Sabha and Ratsaba,
04:59had a complete discussion,
05:01even while the border war
05:03was playing itself out.
05:06Even during 26-11,
05:08if you would recall,
05:10since I had done the first presser
05:13on behalf of the Indian National Congress
05:15on the 28th of November in the evening,
05:18and the first congressperson
05:20who ever did a show
05:22was with you that night,
05:24Parliament was on.
05:25And during that Parliament session,
05:29senior ministers from the government,
05:31including the then External Affairs Minister,
05:34Mr. Pranam Mukherjee,
05:35the Prime Minister himself,
05:37and other senior ministers,
05:38had explained the chronology of events
05:41and the government's response.
05:43So therefore,
05:44it is not as if a Parliament session
05:47is going to degenerate into a,
05:49he said, she said,
05:50after all, this is the same Parliament
05:52which in 1994 had passed
05:55a unanimous resolution
05:56that the only unfinished business
05:58of partition
05:59is the reclaim of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
06:02That resolution was again
06:04retreated unanimously
06:06by the Indian Parliament in 2012.
06:09So therefore,
06:10to extrapolate and begin
06:12on the presumption
06:13that a Parliament session
06:15is going to be a,
06:16he said, she said,
06:17I think is a completely erroneous premise.
06:20You know, Manish Tiwari,
06:22you have given us a bit of a lesson
06:24in military history,
06:25but let me ask you,
06:26as I conclude,
06:27Operation Sindur itself,
06:28I had your colleague Shashi Tharoor
06:30on the show two days ago.
06:31He congratulated the Modi government,
06:33believed that the government
06:34had ensured that we hit
06:35the Pakistanis hard and smart,
06:38and he felt that it was
06:38the right thing to do.
06:40Do you also believe
06:41that the government
06:41has taken the right stand
06:43on Pakistan?
06:44In the UPA years,
06:45you were accused
06:46of strategic restraint,
06:47not doing enough.
06:48Now the government
06:49effectively saying
06:50we hit them where it hurts.
06:55Well, first of all, Rajdeep,
06:57every government
06:58takes national security decisions
07:01based upon the imperatives
07:03and the best information
07:05which is there before it.
07:09So therefore,
07:10you know,
07:10to compare two
07:11national security situations,
07:13I don't think
07:14is the correct way
07:15of approaching
07:16any national security issue.
07:18having said that,
07:20in my estimation,
07:21the government
07:21did the appropriate thing
07:23that they targeted
07:26and efficaciously hit
07:29the terror infrastructure
07:31in Pakistan.
07:33It was an attempt
07:35once again
07:36to establish
07:37strategic deterrence.
07:39and I do hope
07:40this strategic deterrence
07:42sends a salutary message
07:43to Pakistan
07:44that the use
07:46of semi-state actors
07:47in order to
07:49perpetrate terror
07:51or to use terror
07:52as an instrument
07:53of state policy
07:54is something
07:55which the
07:56government of India,
07:58the people of India,
07:59and by people,
08:00I mean
08:01the entire
08:02opposition in India
08:03is not going
08:04to tolerate
08:05at all
08:06under any circumstances.
08:08So yes,
08:09the punitive strikes
08:10were necessary.
08:12It was an imperative
08:13and I do hope
08:14it sends that
08:15salutary message
08:16and establishes
08:18the conventional
08:19deterrence
08:20that we hope
08:21to establish
08:21in order to
08:23ensure
08:24that Pakistan
08:26refrains
08:27from using
08:28these semi-state
08:28actors.
08:29Are you therefore,
08:30Manish Tiwari,
08:31going to give a word
08:32of praise at the end
08:33to Prime Minister Modi
08:33for sending out
08:34that firm message
08:35to Pakistan?
08:38Well,
08:39I think
08:39as I earlier said,
08:42every government
08:43acts in the best
08:45interest of the nation
08:46based upon
08:47the inputs
08:48that are available
08:49with it
08:50and the decisions
08:51it takes.
08:52So therefore,
08:53I have always
08:54been of the view
08:56that National
08:57Security Situations
08:58should not be
08:59looked through
09:00a partisan lens
09:01and whatever
09:02is in India's
09:04interest,
09:05whatever serves
09:06India's strategic
09:07objectives,
09:08if they are furthered,
09:09you know,
09:09that's something
09:10which should be
09:10appreciated.