Jairam Ramesh asks PM Modi if he’ll raise South Africa’s case with Trump
Jairam Ramesh asks PM Modi if he’ll raise South Africa’s case with Trump
M.U.H
28/11/202532
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he would “take up South Africa’s cause” with US President Donald Trump after Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit to be hosted in Miami.
In a post on social media handle X, Ramesh highlighted South Africa’s long‑standing membership of the G20—“the largest economy measured by GDP in the African continent”—and its historic ties with India through BRICS, IBSA, and BASIC groupings. “The Prime Minister styles himself as 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?” Ramesh wrote, echoing concerns raised by Indian officials about the diplomatic fallout.
Trump’s decision to bar South Africa came after he boycotted the Johannesburg G20 summit earlier this month, citing alleged mistreatment of “human‑rights abuses” against white Afrikaners, claims which South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called “punitive” and based on “misinformation.”
India and South Africa share deep historical bonds—from Mahatma Gandhi’s early activism in South Africa to India’s support for the anti‑apartheid struggle—which Ramesh invoked to underline the “special relationship” between the two nations.
The Congress leader’s remarks come amid broader international reaction, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying he would try to persuade Trump to reverse the exclusion, noting that “the G7 and G20 are formats that should not be made smaller without good reason.”
