Jairam Ramesh Presses PM Modi on Taking Up South Africa Case with Trump
Congress leader urges Modi to defend South Africa’s rightful place, cites India’s historic ties and Global South leadership
New Delhi, Nov 28: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on whether he would take up South Africa’s exclusion from the 2026 G20 summit with US President Donald Trump. The remark came after Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the Miami hosted summit.
In a post on X, Ramesh underscored South Africa’s long-standing role in the G20 as the African continent’s largest economy by GDP, and pointed to its close multilateral ties with India through BRICS, IBSA, and BASIC. “The Prime Minister styles himself as a champion of Africa and the Global South… Will he now press his ‘good friend’ Trump to ensure South Africa gets its rightful place at the next G20?” he asked.
Trump’s move follows his boycott of the Johannesburg G20 summit earlier this month, during which he accused the South African government of mistreating white Afrikaners allegations President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office dismissed as “punitive” and based on “misinformation.”
Ramesh also invoked India and South Africa’s shared history from Mahatma Gandhi’s formative political years in South Africa to India’s solidarity during the anti-apartheid movement to stress the “special relationship” between the two nations.
The comments come as global leaders react to Trump’s decision. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would attempt to persuade the US President to reconsider, noting that “the G7 and G20 are formats that should not be made smaller without good reason.”
