Ramesh slams Modi's West Asia diplomacy, questions BRICS+ summit delay

Jairam Ramesh slammed the Modi govt's West Asia diplomacy, questioning why the BRICS+ summit isn't being advanced. He claimed Modi is avoiding it to not 'antagonise' Trump and Netanyahu and mocked the PM's phone calls as less effective.

Senior Congres leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday slammed the Narendra Modi government over its diplomatic measures amid the West Asia conflict, questioning the Centre for not utilising global platforms such as the BRICS+ bloc.

In a post on X, he reiterated the claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not want to "antagonise" the US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attributing it to the government not advancing the summit, set to be hosted by India this year, as a diplomatic initiative to mitigate the conflict. "The 18th annual BRICS+ Summit will take place in New Delhi under India's Presidency later this year. Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE are members. Why is the self-styled Vishwaguru not advancing the Summit to put together a diplomatic initiative to deal with the crisis in West Asia and its impacts? Clearly, he does not want to antagonise President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu," Ramesh said.

Ramesh Mocks 'El Supremo's' Phone Calls

Moreover, Ramesh took a swipe at the Prime Minister over his telephonic conversations with foreign leaders regarding the conflict, stating that they include "no hugs, and no finger-waving, gyaan-giving photo-ops for our El Supremo". Thus, he added, summits can be more productive and result in concrete steps. "Mr Modi has reportedly been making phone calls to foreign leaders to discuss the West Asia situation. This mode of communications has its limitations-- no hugs, and no finger-waving, gyaan-giving photo-ops for our El Supremo. But Summits can be more productive and result in concrete steps apart from valuable face-to-face confabulations," he wrote.

The 18th annual BRICS+ Summit will take place in New Delhi under India’s Presidency later this year. Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and UAE are members. Why is the self-styled Vishwaguru not advancing the Summit to… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 23, 2026 The Congress MP also hit out at President Trump, stating that the G20 Summit, under US leadership this year, will not yield any effective results. "G20 this year is headed by the US, and it will not result in anything consequential other than more rants and taunts by the US President," Ramesh said.

Iran Urges Proactive BRICS Role

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for a more proactive and independent role of BRICS in addressing the ongoing conflict in West Asia during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the discussion, Pezeshkian emphasised the need for BRICS to contribute towards halting ongoing hostilities and ensuring regional and global stability, referring to New Delhi's chairmanship for this year and urged member nations to play a constructive role in de-escalating tensions. "Referring to India's rotating presidency of BRICS, Pezeshkian called for the group to play an independent role in halting aggressions against Iran and in safeguarding regional and international peace and stability," the statement from the Iranian Embassy in India read. (ANI)

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