Trust your foreign ministry: Milind Deora on Congress questioning PM-Trump call

Congress leader Milind Deora on Wednesday hit out at Opposition parties questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's phone call with US President Donald Trump, stating that Opposition leaders seem to be placing more trust in foreign governments than in India's own institutions.

Speaking to India Today TV, Deora said, "If the foreign ministry says that the Prime Minister had a word with the US President, then I don't think anyone should read into that or speculate. The Opposition leaders should trust our foreign ministry. A new environment is being created where the Opposition is trusting the foreign ministries of other countries than their own."

Deora reiterated that foreign policy and national security should not be politicised, urging unity across political lines during moments of national crisis. He cited his own actions during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, recalling how he had asked all political parties to stand united behind the government.

"Whenever there is cross-border terrorism in India, be it in Mumbai or Kashmir, all the Opposition parties should stay united and support the government. You should give suggestions but don't politicise these issues," he said.

He also addressed growing speculation following the June 12 Air India crash that claimed over 270 lives, stating that no fingers should be pointed at pilots or the airline until investigations are complete. "But after the investigation is done, action should be taken against the accused and changes should be made to the systems to ensure that such incidents don't take place again," he added.

Deora's comments come amid a political flashpoint over PM Modi's recent 35-minute phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, which took place at Trump's request. According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the PM used the call to set the record straight on several issues.

Misri said the Prime Minister told Trump that the US had no role in brokering the May 10 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and that there was no discussion of any US-India trade deal during the hostilities.

The call came ahead of a scheduled but cancelled meeting between PM Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada.

Misri revealed that PM Modi had made it clear to Trump that all discussions regarding the cessation of military action took place directly between India and Pakistan through established military channels, and only at Pakistan's request. He also said that the Prime Minister briefed Trump on India's "measured, precise, and non-escalatory" response during Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7.

The PM also informed the US President that India had received an alert from US Vice President JD Vance on May 9 about an impending large-scale Pakistani attack, to which India responded with significant force.

The phone call has sparked political heat back home. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused the government of a lack of transparency, claiming India had suffered a "triple jhatka" in foreign policy and diplomacy.

He referred to Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's closed-door lunch with Trump and questioned why the Prime Minister had not taken the Opposition into confidence. "Why can't the Prime Minister call an all-party meeting? Say the same thing in Parliament. Take the Opposition leaders into confidence," Ramesh said.

He pointed out discrepancies between the Indian and US accounts of the conversation and demanded that PM Modi address Parliament on the details of his talks with Trump. While India has issued an official readout of the conversation, the US has yet to release a statement.

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