Ramesh slams PM over AI summit, flags US-Pakistan optics in Washington

The political temperature rose on Friday as senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi , accusing him of prioritising “optics over diplomacy” amid renewed bonhomie between the United States and Pakistan.

In a strongly worded post on X, Ramesh took a swipe at what he called the Prime Minister’s “self declared Vishwaguru” image, alleging that while the government projects global leadership through slogans and acronyms at the India AI Impact Summit , Pakistan faces “no meaningful consequences” internationally for the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

The Congress MP’s remarks came in the backdrop of a meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and US President Donald Trump in Washington DC during the Board of Peace event. Calling the optics “depressing,” Ramesh said the continued warmth between Washington and Islamabad reflected poorly on India’s diplomatic outreach. He argued that no amount of spin doctoring could conceal what he described as the Modi government’s failure to impose costs on Pakistan at the global stage.

Ramesh alleged that while critical geopolitical developments were unfolding, the Prime Minister was more focused on “giving the world gyaan through acronyms” and showcasing solidarity with corporate leaders. In a pointed remark, he described this approach as “Maximum Optics, Damaging India,”(MODI) a play on the government’s own branding style.

Meanwhile, the India AI Impact Summit, being hosted as the first major global AI summit in the Global South, aims to discuss global cooperation on AI governance, safety, and societal impact. The government has framed the summit around the vision of “AI for Humanity” and inclusive technological growth.

Adding another layer to the political debate, President Trump reiterated his claim that he had intervened during the 2024 India Pakistan conflict, stating that a proposed “200 percent tariff” threat helped halt hostilities. He also revised his earlier assertion on the number of jets shot down during the conflict, increasing it from eight to eleven. India has consistently rejected claims of third party mediation .