New Delhi: Opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Tuesday demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on US President Donald Trump's stunning claim that the Indian leader had requested him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. The Ministry of External Affairs has rejected Trump's remarks, made during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, that Modi had asked him to mediate in resolving the Kashmir issue with Pakistan. But it was not enough for the Opposition, which walked out of the Lok Sabha over the demand for the prime minister's response. The Rajya Sabha also saw frequent disruptions on the issue.

If Trump's claim that the Indian prime minister had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue is true, Modi had betrayed the interests of the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter. Gandhi also asserted that a "weak" foreign ministry denial wouldn't do and the prime minister must tell the nation what transpired in the meeting between him and the US president His party welcomed the government's reiteration of India's 'no third party involvement' stand on the Kashmir issue but asked why Modi was "mum" over Trump's claim. The US president's remarks "relate to a meeting between him and PM Modi, wherein our PM had asked him to mediate", Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet. "Why is PM 'mum' on what transpired between the two heads of states, more so when it affects our sovereignty?" Surjewala asked. Opposition leaders met in his colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad's chamber in Parliament and called for suspension of all business.