External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday rejected claims made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi that he was sent “three-four times” to secure an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
Gandhi, speaking in Parliament, said that Jaishankar’s visits to the US were aimed at obtaining an invite for Modi to Trump’s inauguration. However, Jaishankar posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter), calling the allegation a “deliberate falsehood.”
“I went to meet the Secretary of State and NSA of the Biden Administration. Also to chair a gathering of our Consuls General. During my stay, the incoming NSA-designate met with me,” Jaishankar clarified.
“At no stage was an invitation in respect of the PM discussed. It is common knowledge that our PM does not attend such events. In fact, India is generally represented by Special Envoys.”
Jaishankar further criticised Gandhi’s comments, accusing him of damaging India’s image abroad. “Rahul Gandhi’s lies may be intended politically, but they damage the nation abroad,” Jaishankar said.
The controversy arose during a speech in which Gandhi said: “When we talk to the United States, we would not send the foreign minister three-four times to get an invite for our Prime Minister because if we had a production system and we were working on these technologies, the US president would come here and invite the Prime Minister.”
BJP MPs, led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, strongly objected to Gandhi’s remarks.
Rijiju argued that the Opposition leader’s statement about India’s foreign policy was unfounded. “The Leader of the Opposition cannot make such serious, unsubstantiated statements. This is about the relationship between two countries. He is making unverified statements about the invitation of our Prime Minister,” Rijiju said.
He further demanded that Gandhi provide evidence for his claims, stating, “He should be responsible. If the Leader of the Opposition has the information, he must tell the House who has told him that the Foreign Minister visited for this purpose.”
The exchange follows a phone call between Prime Minister Modi and Donald Trump last Monday, in which Modi congratulated Trump on his historic second term. Modi reiterated India’s commitment to a “mutually beneficial and trusted partnership” with the US.
Trump’s inauguration as the 47th US President took place on January 20. Jaishankar attended the event as India’s representative.
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