New Delhi, Feb 28 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying US President Donald Trump’s “full-throated and categorical support” for Pakistan in its ongoing conflict with Afghanistan marks “another setback for Indian ‘huglomacy’.”
Ramesh accused the Modi government of failing on economic as well as strategic diplomacy with the United States, arguing that Washington’s recent moves demonstrated a diminishing regard for India’s concerns.
“President Trump’s full-throated and categorical support for Pakistan in its war with Afghanistan is another setback for Indian ‘huglomacy,’” Ramesh said. “He has once again gone out of his way to praise the man whose inflammatory remarks provided the backdrop to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, that were orchestrated by Pakistan.”
The reference was to the deadly terror strike in Pahalgam last year, which claimed multiple civilian lives and sharply escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. The Congress leader alleged that the attack had direct backing from across the border and criticized what he described as the US administration’s failure to hold Pakistan accountable.
Ramesh also took aim at the recently concluded India-US trade agreement, describing it as “clearly one-sided.” “Our economic diplomacy with the US has failed badly,” he said. “Mr. Modi has suddenly surrendered to a clearly one-sided trade deal in which India has made firm pledges, especially to import from American farmers, while the US has made vague commitments to allow for greater exports from India.”
He further pointed to Washington’s decision to impose a 125.87% import duty on solar modules from India shortly after the agreement was signed.
“Days after the agreement, the US imposed a 125.87% import duty on solar modules from India. What does this say about the strength of our negotiating position?” Ramesh asked.
On the strategic front, Ramesh said the Modi government’s efforts to elevate India’s global standing have suffered repeated setbacks due to what he described as President Trump’s “cozying up to the Pakistani establishment.”
“Our strategic diplomacy has received repeated blows by President Trump reverting to the hyphenation of India and Pakistan,” he said, invoking a term often used in Indian foreign policy discourse to criticize attempts to treat the two countries as a single strategic unit.
For years, New Delhi has sought to delink its global profile from Islamabad, emphasizing its economic size, democratic institutions, and geopolitical weight.
In a pointed remark, Ramesh targeted Prime Minister Modi’s global outreach and branding efforts.
“The Prime Minister may, through his means, manage to get awards. But the fact is that the self-declared Vishwaguru has been exposed and the world, especially the US, has got his measure,” he said.
Government officials have previously defended the trade deal and India-US ties as being rooted in long-term strategic convergence, even amid periodic disagreements.
