US President Donald Trump's effusive praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in France has sparked a sharp political divide in India, with the Janata Dal (United) welcoming the remarks as a reflection of India's rising global stature, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) used the occasion to allege a broader failure of Indian foreign diplomacy.

What Trump Said at the G7

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in France, Trump described his conversation with Modi as 'very good' and confirmed that the two countries are actively working on trade deals. Trump called Modi a 'tough negotiator' and indicated he would visit India 'sometime in the future.' In a notably animated moment, Trump said of Modi: 'Have a look at this man... He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice, like an angel. But actually, he's tough... he is a killer... But he is such a nice man,' adding a reference to the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston. Modi himself appeared visibly surprised by the spontaneous applause from the US President.

JD-U Calls It a Diplomatic Positive

Bihar Minister Ashok Choudhary of the Janata Dal (United) responded positively to the episode on Thursday, 18 June. 'It is a positive thing. When leaders of other major countries praise the Prime Minister of India, whether it is the President of China, leaders of the European Union, or the President of the United States, it reflects the stature of our Prime Minister,' Choudhary said. He added that the praise 'shows that his foreign policy and diplomatic approach are moving in the right direction and yielding results.'

RJD Raises Deaths of Indian Sailors, Hits Out at Centre

RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha took a sharply critical line, invoking the reported deaths of Indian sailors to challenge the government's diplomatic record. 'Our sailors were murdered. Who did that? The American war machine. Yet, for the sake of calling someone "my dear friend," there is silence on the issue. Our foreign diplomacy has completely failed, but no one is talking about it,' Jha said. He called for sustained parliamentary debate, stating, 'There should be eight to ten debates on the issue. When such inappropriate and objectionable remarks are made, we seem to have forgotten how to raise a united voice in protest.'

Jha further said, 'Today you are in power; tomorrow you may not be. We have been forced to remain silent despite our pain. Who is responsible for this? Not the Opposition, not the people, but those to whom we have entrusted the responsibility of the country and its leadership.'

The Broader Political Context

The exchange comes at a moment of active India-US trade negotiations, with both sides working toward a bilateral deal. Trump's public warmth toward Modi — including the 2019 'Howdy Modi' rally in Houston — has been a recurring feature of the bilateral relationship. However, the RJD's invocation of Indian sailors' deaths signals that opposition parties are seeking to frame the optics of personal diplomacy against what they describe as unresolved bilateral grievances. This is not the first time a Modi-Trump interaction has divided India's political class along ruling-alliance and opposition lines.

With trade talks ongoing and a potential Trump visit to India on the horizon, the political temperature around India-US relations is unlikely to cool soon.