The Congress has five questions that it wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise during his meeting with the visiting US Vice President JD Vance later on Monday.
Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh, posted five questions on his X handle on Sunday, with a challenge for Modi to stand up to Washington not just for trade and strategy, but for Indian lives caught in American policy shifts.
“As the Prime Minister prepares to meet US Vice President JD Vance tomorrow, will he —,” began Ramesh’s post.
Top on Congress’s list is the treatment of Indian citizens and students in the United States.
Ramesh demanded to know whether Modi would “convey India's concerns on the manner in which Indian citizens are being deported and Indian students are being made to live in an atmosphere of fear in the US – after their parents have spent their life savings to support their children’s US education?”
The second issue raised was the “complete destruction of the multilateral rules-based trading system anchored in the WTO, from which India has gained greatly,” as Ramesh put it.
His third and fourth points drew attention to Washington’s climate and health diplomacy—or lack thereof.
“Would Modi speak out on “the US’s withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, which is so very essential for managing global warming that threatens the livelihoods of crores of our people?” And would he raise concerns over “the US withdrawal from the WHO, which plays an important role in global public health research and management?”
Finally, in a nod to domestic anxieties around free trade, the Congress leader asked if Modi would “convey India's determination to ensure that any further bilateral trade liberalisation does not adversely impact Indian farmers, industry, and MSMEs?”
These questions came timed precisely with the arrival of the American delegation.
On Monday, JD Vance landed at Delhi’s Palam airbase at 10 AM for a four-day visit, accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri Vance and their three children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.
The family was received by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
This visit comes amidst high-stakes negotiations between New Delhi and Washington to finalise a bilateral trade agreement.
Talks are expected to focus on tariff rationalisation and greater market access.
According to officials cited by PTI, Modi will host a dinner in honour of the Vance family Monday evening, following “wide-ranging talks” that will include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
PTI reports suggest that Vance will also visit Jaipur and Agra with his family during the four-day tour, while also delivering a policy speech delving into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Trump administration.
