New Delhi [India], September 10 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a sharp jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he referred to the United States as India's "natural partner" in a reply to a post by US President Donald Trump. Ramesh questioned the nature of this partnership, especially after Trump's repeated claims about using trade as leverage in India-Pakistan relations.
Jairam Ramesh questioned the claims of 'natural partners' and posted on X, "Prime Minister Modi has told President Trump that India and the US are 'natural partners.' The question is now this: Are they so natural that President Trump has declared on over 35 different occasions that he brought about the India-Pakistan ceasefire on the evening of May 10th using trade as the instrument of leverage?"
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that trade talks between India and the United States would help "unlock the limitless potential" of the partnership, after US President Donald Trump called for addressing "trade barriers" between the two nations.
In a post on X, PM Modi described New Delhi and Washington as "natural partners" and said he was confident about the progress of the negotiations. The PM also expressed his willingness to speak to Trump.
"India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people," PM Modi said in the X post.
This comes following a statement by Trump on Tuesday (local time) via Truth Social, where he expressed enthusiasm about continuing negotiations to tackle trade barriers between the two nations.
He also expressed confidence in reaching a "successful conclusion" and looked forward to speaking with PM Modi in the upcoming weeks.
"I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!" Trump stated in his post.