Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Friday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa “safely and securely” due to the United States’ boycott led by President Donald Trump.
The Congress leader pointed out that PM Modi skipped the recent India-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, allegedly to avoid a face-to-face meeting with Trump.
The US has boycotted the G20 Summit, citing alleged human rights abuses against white farmers in South Africa, a claim Pretoria denies. Ramesh criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s stance on South Africa’s G20 themes, highlighting Rubio’s announcement of the halt to Operation Sindoor.
Ramesh questioned future India-US diplomatic engagement, especially with the 2026 G20 Summit in the US. “Will huglomacy with ‘my good friend’ revive or whether there will be just handshakes or whether Mr. Modi doesn’t go – time alone will tell,” he said, referencing Trump’s repeated claims about Operation Sindoor.
