PM Modi avoids Trump at ASEAN? Congress slams PM for not attending summit - 'bachke re rehna re baba'

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it was confirmed on Thursday that he will skip the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, missing out on a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump. PM Modi informed Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he would virtually attend the ASEAN summit. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said PM Modi not attending the ASEAN summit in person “means losing so many opportunities to rub shoulders with world leaders and get photo ops or flaunt himself as the self-styled Vishwaguru.” He also claimed that the reason why Prime Minister Modi is not going is “simple”. “He [Modi] just don’t want to be cornered by President Trump who will be there too. He declined an invitation to attend the Gaza peace summit in Egypt a few weeks back for this very reason,” Ramesh said. He said that posting messages praising US President Trump on social media is one thing. “But to be seen physically with the man who has claimed to have stood on Sindoor 53 times and who India has promised to buy oil from 5 times matters. It is far too risky for him,” the Congress leader said. He also said that the prime minister might “recall the old hit Bollywood number: Bachke re rehna re baba, bachke rehna re.” PM Modi Virtually Joins ASEAN-India Summit In his X post on Thursday, PM Modi informed Anwar about his virtual presence. He gave no reason for not traveling to Kuala Lumpur for the summit. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately comment. PM Modi said, “Looking forward to virtually joining the ASEAN-India Summit and to the further deepen ASEAN-India comprehensive strategic partnership.” Meanwhile, the Malaysian Prime Minister said: “He [Modi] said that he would attend online given the Deepavali celebrations that were still being celebrated in India at that time. I respect the decision and extend my Deepavali greetings to him and all the people of India.” The 47th ASEAN Summit will take place in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October. The meeting of leaders of the Southeast Asian grouping will be attended by all 10 members of the bloc and key trading partners such as China, Japan and the US. Malaysia’s foreign minister said last week that Trump would visit the country on October 26, fueling speculation in India about a possible meeting with Prime Minister Modi, who previously expected to attend the summit in person. India-US trade dispute India and the US are locked in a trade dispute after Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on Indian exports, partly to penalize the country for buying oil from Russia. On Tuesday, Trump said he spoke with Prime Minister Modi, who assured him that India would cut Russian energy purchases. However, New Delhi has not confirmed that will not meet Trump’s demands. The tariff rate is among the highest in Asia and has led to a sharp downturn in US-India ties, which have been heating up for years.