Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it was confirmed on Thursday that he will not attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump.
PM Modi had informed Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he would attend the ASEAN summit virtually.
Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said PM Modi not attending the ASEAN summit in person means missing out on “many opportunities to hug world leaders and get photographed with them or to project himself as a self-styled world leader.”
He also claimed that the reason for PM Modi not going is “simple”.
“He [Modi] I don’t want to be cornered by President Trump, who will also be there. He declined the invitation to attend the Gaza peace summit in Egypt a few weeks ago for the same reason,” Ramesh said.
He said that posting messages praising US President Trump on social media is one thing. “But to be seen having physical relations with a man who has claimed 53 times that he has stopped Operation Sindoor and claimed 5 times that India has promised to stop buying oil from Russia is very risky for her,” the Congress leader said.
He also said that the Prime Minister might be “remembering that old hit Bollywood number: Baba, the children remain, the children remain.,
PM Modi will virtually attend the ASEAN-India summit
In his ex-post on Thursday, PM Modi informed Anwar about his virtual presence. He did not give any reason for not traveling to Kuala Lumpur for the summit. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment.
PM Modi said, “Look forward to virtually attending the ASEAN-India Summit and further deepening the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, “He [Modi] He said that he would also participate online in view of the Diwali festival being celebrated in India at that time. I respect the decision and wish him and all the people of India a happy Diwali.
The 47th ASEAN Summit is scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October.
The leaders’ meeting of the Southeast Asian grouping will include all 10 members of the bloc and major trading partners such as China, Japan and the US.
Malaysia’s foreign minister last week said Trump would visit the country on October 26, sparking speculation about a possible meeting in India with PM Modi, who was earlier expected to attend the summit in person.
India-US trade dispute
India and the US are locked in a trade dispute after Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, partly to punish the country for buying oil from Russia.
Trump on Tuesday said he spoke to PM Modi, who assured him that India will cut Russian energy purchases.
However, New Delhi has not confirmed that it will comply with Trump’s demands.
The tariff rate is the highest in Asia and has caused a severe deterioration in US-India relations, which had been warming for years.
