Congress MP Manickam Tagore Slams PM Modi's China Visit As 'Just Another' Event Managed - '56-Inch Diplomacy'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Congress leader Manickam Tagore, on 3 September, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, asking whether the summit was about India's interests or just another 'event management' episode.

Tagore, the Virudhunagar Member of Parliament of the Congress party, questioned the outcome of India's participation after Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO summit in Tianjin, China.

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Criticising PM Narendra Modi 's foreign policy approach, Tagore said in the X post that the China-Pakistan axis has strengthened as the timing of the SCO summit and Xi Jinping's subsequent meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir underscored China's strategic interests in the region, potentially at India's expense.

"Modi sahib went to SCO for '56-inch diplomacy'. Next day? Xi Jinping meets Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir. Xi knows the difference: Modi = photo-ops & speeches. Pak Army = real power & strategy. Modi's SCO visit outcome? Selfies, headlines & bhakts clapping. Meanwhile, China-Pak axis just got stronger," Tagore wrote.

Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time on Tuesday, 2 September, during a high-level delegation visit led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Also Read | Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir holds first talks with Chinese President Xi

Munir was part of Sharif's delegation, which participated in the SCO summit in Tianjin and also attended the grand parade of the Chinese army to be held here on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Narendra Modi returned from China after the SCO Summit on 1 September.

Tagore claimed that Xi's meeting with both leaders was "deliberate" and a calculated attempt. Xi's timing was deliberate. A reminder: while Modi manages events, Beijing manages geopolitics. Question for Modi's PR machine: Was SCO about India's interests or just another "event management" world? When will the PM think for India, not for his photo ops?" the post added.

The 25th Council of Heads of State meeting of the SCO was held from 31 August 31 to 1 September in Tianjin, China. This summit included significant discussions on global governance, security, and economic cooperation among member nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin's bonhomie was on full display at the SCO Summit.

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The two leaders shared warm moments, including a heartfelt hug and a ride together in Putin's official Aurus Senat limousine to their bilateral meeting.

At the conclusion of the Summit, the SCO Member countries adopted the Tianjin Declaration . The member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April in which 26 people were killed.

(With ANI inputs)

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