New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he cancelled plans to travel to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit, claiming that the Prime Minister is avoiding the visit to avoid a face-to-face encounter with US President Donald Trump.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, noted, “For the past several days, speculations were rife about whether Prime Minister Modi would attend the Kuala Lumpur conference or not. Now it is almost certain that the Prime Minister will not be going there.”
Ramesh alleged that the reason for Modi skipping the summit is “clear”: he does not want to confront President Trump in person. “A few weeks ago, he had declined an invitation to attend the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt for the same reason,” he added.
He further said, “Posting messages praising President Trump on social media is one thing, but facing the person who has claimed 53 times to have stopped Operation Sindoor and said five times that India promised to stop buying oil from Russia—that’s a different matter. It’s quite risky for him.”
Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister, Ramesh referenced an old Bollywood song, tweeting, “The Prime Minister might now be recalling that old hit — ‘Bach ke rehna re baba, bach ke rehna’ [be cautious].”
The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit is scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28. PM Modi will not attend the summit in person but will participate virtually.
In his own post on X, PM Modi said, “Had a warm conversation with my dear friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia. Congratulated him on Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and conveyed best wishes for the success of upcoming Summits. Look forward to joining the ASEAN-India Summit virtually, and to further deepening the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”