Speculation is rife across India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided not to attend the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur to avoid meeting U.S. President Donald Trump. The opposition Congress party has seized the opportunity to mock the Prime Minister, accusing him of “dodging diplomacy.”
The ASEAN Summit is scheduled for Sunday and Monday in Malaysia’s capital. Modi announced that he would join the summit virtually, while External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India in person.
Diplomatic sources indicated that a Modi–Trump bilateral meeting was expected on the sidelines of the summit, where the two leaders were likely to finalize a trade agreement. However, tensions between the two nations have deepened over India’s cheap oil imports from Russia and U.S. tariff threats, leading many to see Modi’s decision as a tactical avoidance.
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh directly alleged, “The real reason Modi isn’t going is simple—he doesn’t want to face Trump.” Mocking the Prime Minister, he said, “By skipping the event, Modi has missed the chance to pose with world leaders and project himself as a global guru. Maybe he’s now humming the old Bollywood tune—‘Bachke rehna re baba (Be careful, my friend).’”
Earlier, Modi had also skipped the peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, after the Gaza ceasefire agreement—another event attended by Trump—fueling similar speculation that he was deliberately avoiding him.
Meanwhile, Trump has warned India of further tariffs unless it stops buying Russian oil. Recent reports suggest that after Trump imposed sanctions on two Russian oil firms, some Indian private companies halted imports, though the government has not admitted to any external pressure.
Analysts believe Modi’s absence from the ASEAN Summit is a strategic move aimed at avoiding controversy ahead of the Bihar elections, as the government wants to steer clear of any new diplomatic embarrassment involving Trump.