New Delhi (Agency): Pawan Khera, Congress Media and Publicity Chairman, recently criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the impression that India’s G20 presidency is because of him being in office. Khera said, “He (PM Modi) forgets that it (G20) is a rotational presidency. It’s not because he’s the Prime Minister.”
Khera’s comments come in response to Modi’s latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast where the Prime Minister spoke about India being “fully geared” to host the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi. Modi stated that the event would showcase India’s “potential and rising global heft,” with a record number of participants from over 40 countries.
Expanding on his point, Khera added, “Anyone would have been the PM and India would still have been the president of G20.” Khera further stated, “If he thinks that people of India are fools then he’s sadly mistaken.”
The G20 presidency is a rotational arrangement among its member countries, meaning it changes every year. This year, the summit will be hosted under India’s presidency. According to Modi, this year’s G20 event in India will have the “biggest participation in the history of the G20 Summit.” He labeled India’s presidency as a “people’s presidency,” emphasizing public participation.
Modi also noted that “Eleven Engagement Groups of G20 — from academia, civil society, youth, women, our parliamentarians, entrepreneurs and people associated with urban administration — combined to play a critical role in helping us host this event.”
The G20 Summit is a critical platform where world leaders discuss global economic issues. It comprises 19 individual countries plus the European Union. The member countries represent the world’s largest economies, both developed and developing.
However, Khera’s remarks shed light on the ongoing political debate in India regarding the significance and handling of such international events. While the Prime Minister sees the upcoming summit as an opportunity to showcase India on the global stage, critics like Khera question the portrayal of such events as tied to the persona of the Prime Minister.