Cong calls Pakistan, Israel nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize bizarre

New Delhi: The Congress party criticised the recent nominations of U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize by the leaders of Pakistan and Israel, describing the move as part of a trend of increasingly ‘bizarre’ choices for the prestigious award.

Jairam Ramesh, who handles communications for the Congress party, pointed to what he considered strange selections in the Nobel Peace Prize's history and noted that major global figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had never received the honour.

Ramesh also mentioned that while official nomination records remain confidential for 50 years, individuals are free to announce their nominations publicly. He found it notable that both Pakistan’s and Israel’s prime ministers had chosen to make their nominations of Trump public.

Jairam Ramesh noted that in an earlier era, both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize numerous times—Gandhi 12 times between 1937 and 1948, and Nehru 13 times from 1950 to 1961—with most of these nominations reportedly coming from outside India. He used this historical context to question the credibility of some past Nobel selections, highlighting Gandhi’s omission as especially glaring. Ramesh also pointed to the 1973 award to Henry Kissinger as one of the most controversial decisions in the prize’s history.

The Congress leader referred to Pakistan’s nomination of Donald Trump as unexpected, citing his "self-proclaimed" role in promoting peace during a recent India-Pakistan standoff.

According to reports, a formal nomination letter signed by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has already been sent to the Nobel Committee in Norway.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also nominated Trump, citing his role in advancing peace efforts in the Middle East.