“Another example of staggering hypocrisy”: Congress’s Jairam Ramesh’s jabs PM Modi over G20 declaration

New Delhi [India]: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the announcement of the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration at the G20 summit.

Weighing in on the declaration, which harped on respecting religious and cultural diversity and promoting dialogue and tolerance, Ramesh invoked the ethnic clashes in Manipur, saying it was another example of the “staggering hypocrisy of the self-styled Vishwaguru”.

Taking to his official handle on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, the Congress leader said, “Here’s yet another example of the staggering hypocrisy of the self-styled Vishwaguru.

At the global level, in the G20 declaration para 78, he commits to respecting religious and cultural diversity and promoting dialogue and tolerance. At home in India, he refuses to act on ethnic violence in Manipur nor has he visited the state. He remains silent on hate speech, lynchings, targeted killings, and attacks on holy places.”

“His party and the larger ecosystem he belongs to has unleashed systematic polarisation campaigns in states like Haryana and Uttarakhand, and has torn apart the social fabric of the nation,” he added in his post.

The New Delhi declaration was adopted on the opening day of the summit, which was hosted under India’s presidency of the G20, in the national capital.

The declaration said that in line with the UN Charter, all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state and that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.

“Concerning the war in Ukraine, while recalling the discussion in Bali, we reiterated our national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly (A/RES/ES-11/1 and A/RES/ES-11/6) and underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety,” it said.

Also acknowledging the religious and cultural diversity across the globe, it noted, “We note that the UNGA resolution A/RES/77/318, particularly its commitment to promote respect for religious and cultural diversity, dialogue and tolerance.

We also emphasize that freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion or expression, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association are inter-dependent, inter-related and mutually reinforcing and stress the role that these rights can play in the fight against all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief.”