Congress Alleges PM Modi Remained Silent On Indian Sailors' Death During Trump Meet: 'Unacceptable'

Published 18 June 2026 · politics

Congress Alleges PM Modi Remained Silent On Indian Sailors' Death During Trump Meet: 'Unacceptable' Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 08:50 IST Congress attacked

Congress Alleges PM Modi Remained Silent On Indian Sailors' Death During Trump Meet: 'Unacceptable' Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 08:50 IST Congress attacked PM Modi after his G7 meeting with Trump, alleging he failed to seek an apology or publicly raise the deaths of three Indian sailors in a US strike. File photos of Jairam Ramesh, PM Modi, Pawan Khera (PTI) Congress on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, alleging that he remained silent on the deaths of three Indian seafarers killed in a US strike on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The opposition party said the Prime Minister failed to raise the issue publicly despite growing outrage over the incident and questioned why no apology or expression of regret was sought from Washington. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, alleged that PM Modi had not publicly mentioned the deaths of the Indian sailors during his interaction with Trump. “The Prime Minister met with his so-called good friend, President Trump, in Avian. Both leaders gave public statements. The Prime Minister made no mention of the killing of three Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman due to the American attack," Ramesh said. He further noted that Trump was the only leader who took questions from the media and responded when asked about the deaths of the Indian nationals. “Only President Trump took questions. He responded to the question about the killing of Indian citizens. The self-proclaimed world guru remained silent nonetheless.

Utterly shameful and completely unacceptable," Ramesh added. प्रधानमंत्री एवियन में अपने तथाकथित अच्छे मित्र राष्ट्रपति ट्रंप से मिले।दोनों नेताओं ने सार्वजनिक बयान दिया। प्रधानमंत्री ने अमेरिकी हमले के कारण गल्फ ऑफ ओमान में तीन भारतीय नाविकों की हत्या का कोई जिक्र नहीं किया। केवल राष्ट्रपति ट्रंप ने सवाल लिए। उन्होंने भारतीय नागरिकों… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 17, 2026 The Congress leader’s remarks came after PM Modi and Trump held talks focused on repairing bilateral ties, expanding cooperation in trade, defence, energy and technology, and discussing developments in West Asia. Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera also launched a sharp attack on the Prime Minister, arguing that the real issue was not Trump’s praise for PM Modi but the Indian government’s response to the deaths of the sailors. “Trump showering Modi with theatrical praise is not the real news," Khera wrote on X. “The real news is that Narendra Modi and his government neither demanded an unconditional apology from Trump and his administration for the killing of three Indian sailors in a U.S. air strike in the Gulf of Oman, nor secured even the most basic expression of remorse." Referring to Trump’s response when asked about the deaths, Khera said the US President failed to offer condolences and instead described the tragedy as part of a dangerous profession. “When directly asked about the deaths by a journalist, Trump evaded offering an apology or even extending condolences to the grieving families. Instead, he dismissed the tragedy with the remark: ‘This is a rough profession… This has been happening throughout time,’" Khera said. “As though the loss of three young Indian lives was merely an occupational hazard," he added.