India not invited at G7 meet in Canada 'yet another big diplomatic bungle': Congress

Canada is hosting the summit from June 15 to 17 that is expected to deliberate on pressing challenges facing the globe including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.

New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday attacked the Modi government over not receiving an invite to the G-7 meeting in Canada, calling it "yet another big diplomatic bungle" after the "blunder of allowing" the US to "mediate" between India and Pakistan.

With Canada yet to send an invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said Manmohan Singh used to be invited to such meetings, which continued even after BJP came to power, but it is for the first time that India will not be in attendance.

The G-7 summit in Kananaskis in Canada's Alberta will see the attendance of Presidents of the United States and France, the Prime Ministers of UK, Japan, Italy, and Canada and the Chancellor of Germany. Presidents of Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Australia have also been invited to the summit. 

"Before 2014, G-7 was actually G-8 for many years and had included  Russia. Dr Manmohan Singh used to be invited for G-8 Summits where his voice would be heard. It was at one such summit in Germany in June 2007 where the famous Singh-Merkel formula for climate change negotiations had been unveiled," Ramesh said.

"The tradition of inviting Indian PMs continued after 2014. But now, for the first time in six years, Vishwaguru will not be in attendance at the Canada summit. Whatever spin may be given, the fact remains that this is yet another big diplomatic bungle - after the blunder of allowing the US to overturn decades of Indian foreign policy by mediating between India and Pakistan and allowing American authorities to call for continued talks at a 'neutral site'," he said.

The India-Canada relations had worsened following then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.