With Trump skipping G20, 'Vishwaguru' to certainly attend in person: Congress

New Delhi: After US President Donald Trump announced that he would not be attending the G20 in South Africa, the Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was now certain that the "self-styled Vishwaguru" would attend the summit in person.

The party earlier claimed that PM Modi did not attend the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur last month as he was "avoiding" meeting Trump there. The prime minister addressed the summit virtually.

"Now that President Trump has announced that he will not be attending the G20 summit in South Africa a few days hence on Nov 22-23, we can be certain that the self-styled Vishwaguru will himself attend in person. Kabhi na kabi, kahin na kahin... (sometime, somewhere)," AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, alluding to the PM.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict in May using trade.

India, however, has maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two militaries.

India and the US are also engaged in talks to finalise a trade agreement, after Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

Trump on Friday said it is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa later this month, announcing that no American official will attend the summit as long as "human rights abuses" against the ethnic minority group of Afrikaners continue in the country.

Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would not be attending the summit, as he questioned South Africa's grouping of major economies.