Wednesday, June 25, 2025

National

Lalu Prasad Yadav questions ceasefire with Pakistan under US 'pressure'

IANS | June 25, 2025 03:37 PM

PATNA: Soon after being re-elected as the National President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the 13th-consecutive time, senior leader Lalu Prasad Yadav launched a direct attack on the Centre, raising questions over India’s recent ceasefire agreement with Pakistan.

Taking to social media platform X, Lalu Yadav shared a provocative post questioning the government's decisions following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in which 26 people were killed.

In his post, Lalu Yadav accused the Centre of acting under foreign pressure, particularly that of US President Donald Trump, who had claimed credit for facilitating the ceasefire understanding.

"Why was a ceasefire carried out at the behest of the US President?" Lalu asked, adding, "Why has the government failed to apprehend the terrorists responsible for killing innocent civilians in the Pahalgam attack?"

The RJD supremo also shared a morphed image showing PM Modi sitting in President Donald Trump’s lap, while several other world leaders were shown bowing down before the US President — an apparent symbolic criticism of India’s foreign policy stance.

Lalu Yadav’s comments come in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which shook the nation and was allegedly orchestrated by terrorists operating from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

In retaliation, the Indian armed forces launched a joint counter-offensive named 'Operation Sindoor', aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK.

Reports suggested that Indian forces targeted and destroyed nine terror hideouts in Pakistani territory.

The situation escalated significantly, with bilateral tensions reaching near-war levels for about two weeks.

In the midst of rising tensions, Pakistan reportedly pushed for a ceasefire, citing diplomatic backchannel talks.

US President Donald Trump publicly claimed credit for brokering peace between the two countries.

The Indian government eventually announced a conditional ceasefire, raising questions among Opposition leaders.

Now, with elections nearing in Bihar and national politics heating up, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s challenge has added a fresh dimension to the Opposition's narrative — accusing the Modi government of compromising national interest and succumbing to foreign influence.

As of now, the Central Government has not issued any official response to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s remarks.

However, political observers believe this is likely to intensify the ongoing war of words between the ruling NDA and the Opposition bloc in the run-up to the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

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