Jairam Ramesh slams PM on ‘howdy Modi’ diplomacy amid US-Pak moves

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy approach, questioning the efficacy of the “Howdy Modi” outreach in the wake of recent US-Pakistan developments.

In a detailed tweet, Ramesh highlighted a series of actions by US President Donald Trump since mid-May 2025, including his repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan that abruptly halted Operation Sindoor. He noted that Trump had made these claims 45 times across four countries, including at the UN.

Ramesh also drew attention to Trump’s unprecedented White House lunch with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose statements had previously created a “communally charged backdrop” for the Pahalgam terror attack.

He further highlighted Washington’s intensifying economic partnership with Islamabad, the reported green signal to a strategic mutual defence agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and punitive US tariffs and H1B visa changes that have negatively impacted India.

“The President is singling out India for its longstanding economic ties with Russia and penalising it,” Ramesh said, raising concerns over the PM’s diplomatic outreach. He added pointedly: “Namaste Trump ka kya huwa? Howdy Modi ka kya huwa? Huglomacy ka kya huwa? Dost dost na raha.”