Even as India has pushed back against United States President Donald Trump’s claim that he mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan last week, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said on Wednesday that though Trump tried to mediate, there was no need for a third country to step in.
Responding to a question about the role played by the US in the ceasefire announced on May 10, Athawale said at a press conference, “ ji tried to mediate. Modi sahab has a good relationship with Donald Trump. But for India’s part, there is no requirement for any third country to come in between India and Pakistan.”
The Union minister’s comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that the cessation of firing came about after Pakistan’s director-general of military operations contacted India’s DGMO. Trump had claimed that he had told both sides that there was a lot of trade to be done between the US and both countries if they ended hostilities.
Jaiswal, however, said, “From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions.”
Meanwhile, the Union minister said that while India wanted peace, any bullets fired from Pakistan would be answered in kind, echoing Prime Minister ’s statement that bullets would be replied with shells.
“I have said this many times before that terrorism will only end when Pakistan-occupied Kashmir comes back to India,” Athawale said.
Asked about the announcement of the caste census by the government, Athawale said, “There has been a demand for a caste census for years. When I got elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998, I also raised the demand that a caste census should be done.”
He said the decision was taken to conduct the caste census in order to know the population of each caste, their employment status and how they can be empowered.
