The Congress party unleashed a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, alleging that his attendance at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg is proceeding “safely and securely” exclusively because United States President Donald Trump has chosen to boycott the high-profile gathering, thereby preventing what could have been an uncomfortable face-to-face encounter between the two leaders whose once-celebrated personal rapport has visibly cooled.

Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, delivered the barb through a series of meticulously worded posts on X, pointing out that Modi had conspicuously skipped the recent India-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur — an absence the party insists was calculated to dodge a possible bilateral meeting with Trump. Ramesh contrasted this with the Johannesburg summit, where Trump’s deliberate absence has conveniently eliminated any risk of an awkward handshake or public exchange, allowing the Prime Minister to engage with other world leaders without the looming shadow of Washington’s current hostility.

Ramesh escalated the critique by casting doubt on the future of the highly publicised “huglomacy” that once defined Modi-Trump interactions, rhetorically asking whether the warm embraces and effusive praise would miraculously revive when the United States formally assumes the G20 presidency next year and hosts the leaders’ summit on American soil — or whether the Prime Minister might again discover pressing domestic commitments that necessitate another high-profile absence.

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The Congress leader also highlighted President Trump’s repeated public assertions — made on at least 61 occasions in the past seven months — that Washington single-handedly forced India to terminate its military Operation Sindoor in May. Ramesh speculated that once the much-anticipated bilateral trade “deal” is finalised, Trump is likely to reiterate these claims even more forcefully in the presence of Modi at the 2026 US-hosted G20, placing the Indian leadership in an acutely embarrassing position on the global stage.

While Prime Minister Modi projects India’s ancient philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth, One Family, One Future — as the guiding theme for global cooperation and participates in substantive sessions alongside the sixth IBSA Summit, the domestic political crossfire underscores a stark contrast: international diplomacy conducted under the banner of unity is being relentlessly reframed at home through partisan lenses, ensuring that every foreign engagement remains inextricably linked to the charged narrative of India’s internal power contest.

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