Jaishankar takes veiled attack on Rahul Gandhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar launched a veiled attack on Congress leader and Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, terming him as the "new China Guru".  Taking a jibe at Gandhi, Jaishankar claimed that the Congress leader prefers to take private tuition from the Chinese ambassador over briefings from the Indian government, especially during critical moments like the Doklam crisis.

Jaishankar recalled that during the 2017 Doklam standoff, Gandhi allegedly chose to meet with the Chinese envoy instead of aligning with India's official position. "The Doklam crisis was on. The Leader of Opposition chose to take a briefing from who, not from our Govt or MEA, from the Chinese Ambassador, while our military was confronting the Chinese military," Jaishankar added.  

Jaishankar alleges Congress-China links 

Notably, this isn't the first time Jaishankar has accused the Congress of suspicious ties with China. Just last week, on July 25, he reignited the controversy by alleging that the Grand Old Party has a long-standing history of "secret agreements" with China -- agreements he believes have consistently compromised India's sovereignty and strategic standing. Referring to the 1962 Indo-China war, Jaishankar blamed Congress-era policies for significant territorial losses and a weakened geopolitical position. He further accused the party of repeatedly failing to counter China’s growing influence, both diplomatically and strategically.

Rahul targets Trump over trade talk

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi made a pointed statement in a sharp reaction to US President Donald Trump's remarks on ceasefire and tariffs. Speaking to the media outside the Parliament, Gandhi questioned Trump's intent behind his recent comments on India-Pakistan ceasefire, suggesting they were strategically aimed at securing trade benefits for the US. "Why is he saying all this?" Gandhi asked rhetorically, before answering himself: "Because he wants a trade deal. So he will apply pressure there." He hinted that India could soon face significant pressure during the trade negotiations, adding, "Just watch how this trade deal turns out."

Despite the Centre's repeated clarifications that US, or any other country was not involved in deciding on the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, Donald Trump has once again claimed to have brokered peace between the nations.