NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday over his claims that the foreign minister traveled to the United States to secure an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration.
In a social media post on X, Jaishankar claimed that Rahul deliberately spoke “falsehood” about his visit to the US in December last year, just weeks before Trump’s inauguration.
“Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi deliberately spoke a falsehood about my visit to the US in December 2024. 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 said.
“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. Rahul Gandhi’s lies may be intended politically. But they damage the nation abroad,” he added.
The reaction came following Rahul’s claim in Lok Sabha that if the Centre had taken economic policies seriously, then the government would not have had to send the foreign minister to the US to get an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for US President Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
Also read: ‘Jaishankar went to US to get invitation for PM Modi for Trump’s inauguration’: Rahul Gandhi’s claim tirggers chaos in Lok Sabha
Rahul claimed that if India had a better production system and were looking to develop technologies like AI, the US president would come and invite the Prime Minister.
“Our foreign policy would take into account this revolution. When we talk to the United States, we would not send our foreign minister to invite our Prime Minister to his coronation,” Gandhi said.
“Because if we had a production system and if we were working on these technologies, the American President would come here and invite the Prime Minister,” he added.
Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju countered Rahul’s remarks against PM Modi over Trump’s inaugural ceremony and said that the Leader of Opposition should not make such serious unsubstantial statements.
Interrupting Rahul during his speech, Rijiju said, “The Leader of Opposition cannot make such serious unsubstantial statements. This is related to the relation between two countries and he is making an unverified statement about the invitation of the Prime Minister of our country.”
