New Delhi [India], June 10 : Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Tuesday said the Donald Trump administration is constantly "bullying" India in the name of trade, adding that the Modi government is silent against the threats being made by the United States.
Speaking to ANI, Shrinate also pointed out that Indian students are facing issues with the admission procedure in the US, highlighting that a huge visa backlog has been created.
"Our students' visas are not being processed, a backlog is being created. The reality is that the admissions of our students are being cancelled. Another reality is that 682 Indians were deported to India, handcuffed, in military planes by America. The reality is that Donald Trump has taken credit for the ceasefire 12 times. Again and again, he says that he threatened India in the name of trade. I feel that the United States is constantly bullying and insulting us, and the Modi government is silent," Shrinate told ANI.
Earlier on May 31, US President Donald Trump claimed credit for brokering the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that he used trade as a negotiation tactic.
Speaking at the Oval Office during an event marking Elon Musk's departure from his advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump said, "We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster, and I want to thank the leaders of India and Pakistan, and I want to thank my people. Also, we talk trade, and we say we can't trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. They're great leaders in those countries, and they understood and they agreed."
Meanwhile, India has clarified that the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan took place on May 10 following contacts between the two DGMOs and while there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving situation since Operation Sindoor was launched, the issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions.
On video of an Indian student handcuffed and pinned to the floor at an airport in the United States that went viral on social media., Shrinate said, "He is a young student who went to America with the hope of building his future. But the way he was treated -- the way he was slammed and thrashed, the way he was handcuffed, the way he was trampled under boots, the way he was deported -- why is he being treated like an animal? This is happening to our students continuously."
In this regard, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government and accused it of "failing" to protect and safeguard the dignity of India and Indians abroad.