During the 2024 parliamentary election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a video advertisement in which a female student is seen expressing her gratitude to Modi for halting the war between Ukraine and Russia to get Indian students in Ukraine evacuated. “Modi-ji ne war rukwa di, Papa, (Mr. Modi halted the war, father),” she is seen telling her father, her eyes soaked in tears of happiness and relief.
Aimed at boosting Modi’s image as a world leader whom other national heads listen to, this campaign kind of backfired as it was subjected to mocking memes, counter-campaigns and commentaries in India and abroad ridiculing the claim. The government, nevertheless, kept defending the claim.
In May 2025, the campaign resurfaced, in the wake of the India-Pakistan ceasefire, but with a twist: Modi’s critics shared the same visual, replacing Modi with Trump in the caption. It now read: “Trump halted the war, father.” A cartoon showed Trump saying “maine war rukwadi” (I stopped the war) with Modi standing next to him, looking shocked and surprised. The campaign had a singular message—Trump has exposed the BJP’s bragging about Modi’s global influence.
India’s Hindu nationalist camp, which includes the BJP and its ideological-organizational parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has frequently boasted about Modi’s rapport with global leaders, including Trump. Modi and Trump have repeatedly referred to each other as “great friends.” Yet, Trump’s rush to take credit for his role in the ceasefire has caused Modi one of his biggest embarrassments.
In retaliation for the terror attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, India launched military strikes on alleged terror bases in Pakistan on the night of May 6-7. Amid days of military exchanges between India and Pakistan, their media was agog with jingoistic hyperboles and exaggerated claims and misinformation. This heightened social tension over the possibility of a rapid escalation between two nuclear powers.
Then at 5 p.m. Indian time on May 10 — the fourth day of the India-Pakistan armed conflict — Trump announced on X that “after a long night of talks mediated by the US,” India and Pakistan have agreed to “a full and immediate ceasefire.” He congratulated both countries on “using common sense and great intelligence.”
Five minutes later, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also holds the foreign ministry portfolio, wrote: “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!” He also thanked the U.S. for its role.
Then at 6 p.m., India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri faced the media briefly. The picture he gave was different from Trump’s “long night of talks.” He did not mention any U.S. involvement. He said that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan had called India’s DGMO at 3:35 p.m., and both sides agreed to stop all firing and military action on land, in the air, and sea with effect from 5 p.m. that very day.
Trump’s breaking of the news of an India-Pakistan ceasefire came as a surprise and shock to Indians. While many breathed a sigh of relief at the halting of the conflict, the news of U.S. intervention gave ammunition to Modi’s critics. On social media, thousands recalled Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, under whose rule India’s war with Pakistan in 1971 resulted in the bifurcation of the latter and the creation of Bangladesh.
The Congress party to which Gandhi belonged highlighted her famous riposte to the Nixon administration’s warning her not to go to war with Pakistan. “Times have passed when any nation sitting 3 or 4 thousand miles away could give orders to Indians on the basis of colour superiority to do as they wished,” Gandhi had said then.
“That was courage, that was standing up for India, that was not compromising with the nation’s pride,” the Congress party said in a social media post. Congress leaders have also shared clippings from Gandhi’s fiery speeches during the Bangladesh Liberation War, to contrast her strong leadership with that of Modi.
Other critics of the BJP highlighted Gandhi’s leadership, pointing to how she went ahead with the 1971 war despite both the U.S. and China supporting Pakistan. Modi, by allowing Trump to intervene, has compromised the nation’s pride, they contended.
Trump subsequently not only reiterated his mediatory role in the ceasefire but also he claimed that he wielded the trade stick on India and Pakistan. “I said, come on we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. So, stop it. Stop it and we’ll do trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade. Suddenly, they said, ok, we’re going to stop. And they have. They did it for a lot of reasons. But trade is a big one,” Trump said, adding that no one has used trade the way he has.
On May 12, Modi addressed the nation and said that in three days, India destroyed Pakistan to an extent it never expected. By the time “Pakistan began to beg in front of the world to reduce tensions,” India had already “damaged their terror infrastructure.” Therefore, when Pakistan requested a ceasefire, promising it would not continue attacks, India agreed.
India has only suspended the strikes, Modi said. “If there is a terror attack on India, we will hit back. We will take stern action at every place from where the roots of terror spring forth. India will not accept any nuclear blackmail.”
Trump’s repeated statements about his role in the ceasefire have left the Modi government not only embarrassed but also looking weak. For decades, India strongly opposed third party mediation in its disputes with Pakistan. But under Modi’s leadership, India buckled to U.S. pressure, the Congress and other opposition parties alleged.
Drawing attention to to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s mention of a “neutral site” for dialogue between India and Pakistan, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked, “Have we opened the doors to third-party mediation?” “The ceasefire announcements made from Washington, DC first” required a thorough discussion in the Parliament, he argued. Pointing to Modi’s silence on Trump’s claims, Ramesh said India needed to know if the country would “now give in on US demands for opening Indian markets in autos, agriculture, and other areas.”
According to Apoorvanand, a Delhi University professor and columnist, Trump’s remarks have dented Modi’s image in India. “He was portrayed as a world leader, who can get wars stopped. Now, he is stopping a war because Trump asked him to do so,” he told The Diplomat. “BJP supporters are finding it difficult to digest this,” he said, pointing out that anxiety and frustration of Modi’s supporters manifested in their trolling of Misri, in whom Modi’s supporters found a scapegoat.
The government machinery, the pro-government media and the BJP’s organization are now being used to quell this anxiety among supporters and salvage the image of Modi and his government, Apoorvanand said. They are countering Trump by spreading the narrative that India’s offensive had left Pakistan rattled, which is why Pakistan approached the U.S. to initiate discussions on a ceasefire. India agreed out of its own free will.
“The government and the ruling party are trying to brand any questioning of the official narrative as anti-national activities. However, the fact that no major country came out clearly supporting India or condemning Pakistan has contributed to bringing his stature down from the pedestal,” he said.
In a bid to turn the tide in its favor, the BJP has launched an 11-day national campaign highlighting the successes of the Indian army’s Operation Sindoor. The party wants to make sure everyone gets the proper official message — India agreed to a ceasefire not under any external pressure but because it had achieved its objective.
However, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi of the Congress—Indira Gandhi’s grandson—have been pressing the government to call a session of the Parliament. Parliamentarians from three opposition parties told The Diplomat that they are preparing to raise questions about U.S. involvement in the ceasefire when the Parliament convenes.