New Delhi [India], November 21 (ANI) Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the G20 Leaders' summit in South Africa, since the US decided to boycott the annual intergovernmental meet.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (communications) also claimed that the Prime Minister did not go to Kuala Lumpur for the India-ASEAN Summit recently, to avoid a face-to-face interaction with US President Donald Trump.

'The Prime Minister is attending the G20 Summit in South Africa today and tomorrow. He is doing so safely and securely since President Trump and the US are boycotting the summit. 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. It is extraordinary that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US opposes South Africa's G20 themes of solidarity, equality, and sustainability on the grounds that they amount to anti-Americanism. 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,' Ramesh wrote on X.

Ramesh also pointed out that it will be interesting to see whether PM Modi participates in the next G20 summit, which the United States is scheduled to host in 2026.

'The G20 Presidency rotates annually. India had taken over from Indonesia in Nov 2023 and had handed over to Brazil in Nov 2024. Now South Africa is to hand over to the US which will not be present. So the next G20 Summit a year from now will be in the US. By then, presumably, India's trade (or)deal with the US will be done. But if in the past seven months, President Trump has claimed 61 times that he halted Operation Sindoor imagine how many more times he will repeat those claims in the next twelve months,' he said.

'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,' Congress leader added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed for Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the G20 Summit.In his departure statement, Prime Minister Modi called the G20 summit being held in Africa a 'special summit'.

South Africa will host the G20 Leaders' Summit, the first to be held on African soil. During India's Presidency of the G20 in 2023, the African Union became a member of the G20.

The Prime Minister further expressed enthusiasm about meeting the Indian diaspora in South Africa, one of the largest and most vibrant Indian-origin communities outside India. He described his upcoming interaction with the diaspora as a moment of personal warmth and cultural connection. (ANI)