Jairam Ramesh claims PM Modi attending G20 ‘safely’ due to US boycott

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa this weekend is being done “safely and securely” due to the United States’ boycott of the event, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed on Friday.

In a strong observation posted on X, Ramesh suggested a direct link between the absence of US President Donald Trump and PM Modi’s decision to travel, contrasting it with the Prime Minister’s recent non-attendance at another crucial international forum.

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PM Modi today departed on a three-day visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Ramesh recalled that just a few days prior, PM Modi did not attend the India-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in person, alleging the move was an effort to avoid a “face-to-face” confrontation with President Trump.

“Recall that Mr Modi didn’t go to Kuala Lumpur a few days back for the India-ASEAN Summit since he would then have to come face-to-face with President Trump,” Ramesh wrote.

The Congress leader pointed out that the US has announced a complete boycott of the G20 Summit in South Africa, citing disputed claims by President Trump regarding alleged discrimination and persecution of white farmers in the host country.

Ramesh also highlighted the controversial stance of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has reportedly opposed South Africa’s chosen G20 themes of solidarity, equality, and sustainability, dismissing them as amounting to “anti-Americanism.”

Ramesh pointed out the US Secretary of State’s prior role in announcing a key military development: “It is incidentally the very same Marco Rubio who was the first, at 5:37 PM on May 10th, to announce to the world the abrupt halt to Operation Sindoor.”

Looking ahead, Ramesh noted the rotation of the G20 Presidency, with South Africa set to hand over the baton to the US (which will not be present in Johannesburg) for the 2026 Summit.

Asserting that this raises significant questions about future diplomatic engagement, Ramesh said: “So the next G20 Summit a year from now will be 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,” Ramesh said, suggesting that the dynamics of India-US relations, particularly concerning trade and Trump’s repeated claims about ‘Operation Sindoor,’ will define the road to the next summit.