New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the Lok Sabha that “no global leader” had asked India to halt its military operation against Pakistan but shied away from contesting US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of having brokered peace, refusing to take up the gauntlet thrown by Rahul Gandhi.

“No world leader asked India to stop its (military) operation,” Modi said in reply to the marathon debate on Operation Sindoor in the House. Modi sidestepped most of the issues raised by a combative leader of the Opposition and focused on accusing the Congress of speaking Pakistan’s language.

Speaking ahead of Modi’s response, Rahul had dared Modi to tell the House that Trump’s claim of having brokered the India-Pakistan “ceasefire” was a lie. “If he (Modi) has the courage of an Indira Gandhi, let him (Modi) say here that ‘Donald Trump, you are a liar’. You did not make the ceasefire’,” he had said.

Modi, however, referred to a phone call from US Vice-President J.D. Vance, seeking to burnish his image of a bold leader. Foreign minister S. Jaishanker had already told the House on Monday about Vance’s call.

“On the night of (May) 9th, the Vice-President of the United States attempted to contact me. He tried for an hour, but I was in a meeting with the military and was unable to answer,” Modi said. “Later, I returned his call. During our conversation, the Vice-President informed me that Pakistan was planning to launch a major offensive. In response, I firmly stated, ‘If this is Pakistan’s intent, it will pay a very heavy price’,” Modi said. “That’s exactly what I said,” he added.

Amid jeers from the Opposition members, Modi claimed wide support for India’s Operation Sindoor. He said that “out of 193 countries, only 3 supported Pakistan”. Opposition leaders had said that no country had come out to condemn Pakistan for promoting terror.

Thereafter, Modi spent most of his over one-and-a-half-hour-long speech, borrowing heavily from what home minister Amit Shah had already told the House in the morning, to smear the Congress and its leadership’s image.

Modi appeared to be dragging his speech to make it long, invoking the “diplomatic blunders” made by the Nehru-Gandhi family, repeating what Shah had already said.

“India got support from around the world, but it is unfortunate that the Congress did not support the valour of our soldiers,” he said. “India is becoming self-reliant, but the Congress is now dependent on Pakistan for issues,” he said.

“On May 10, India announced the cessation of action under Operation Sindoor, and various discussions took place regarding it. This is the same propaganda that was spread here from across the border. Some people were busy promoting Pakistan’s false propaganda instead of the facts provided by the army, while India’s stance has always been clear,” the Prime Minister said, even as theOpposition benches kept urging Modi to speak on Trump’s claims.

Defending the decision to halt the military operation, he said that Pakistan had been “brought to its knees” by India’s precision strikes and “came begging for halting the operation”.

“The Pakistan DGMO called our DGMO and said that please stop, we can’t take it any more…,” he said, as BJP MPs thumped their desks and chanted “Modi, Modi”.

He accused the Congress of trying to lower the morale of the army with its pro-Pakistan statements. “Pull out all of Pakistan’s statements and the statements of those who are opposing us here, they are exactly the same with full stop and comma,” he told the House, as BJP MPs shouted “shame, shame”.

Seizing on P. Chidambaram’s remarks, which Shah had already referred to, Modi said: “The country is surprised that Congress has given a clean chit to Pakistan. They dare to ask for proof that the Pahalgam attackers were from Pakistan.”

Referring to the elimination of the three Pakistani terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, he slammed the Opposition for questioning its timing, coinciding with the Sindoor debate in Parliament.

“Yesterday, our security forces successfully carried out Operation Mahadev and brought it to its conclusion. But I’m surprised, some people here are sarcastically asking, ‘Why did it happen just yesterday?’ Was the operation schedule based on the auspicious occasion of Sawan ka Somwar? What has happened to these people? Has their frustration and hopelessness reached such extremes?”Modi said, seeking to corner the Opposition.

Modi said he was speaking in the House to “present India’s side”, adding: “Those who don’t see India’s side, I stand here to show them the mirror.”

He spent a good portion of his speech slamming Jawaharlal Nehru for allowing a portion of Kashmir to be captured by Pakistan and also striking the Indus water sharing deal, terming it completely against India’s strength.