New Delhi: India has always been the voice of the developing countries through forums like Non-Aligned Countries (NAM) and the government had gone slightly overboard over the leadership of the G20 as the concept of Global South is an old one, the Congress said on Sunday.
“I think in one respect, the government has gone overboard in trying to make the G20 leadership more than what it is. Indonesia was the G20 leader last year and next year Brazil will take over. Does that mean Indonesia and Brazil are the same as India? In the past, the United States and Canada have led the group. In the future, China may take over as it is a rotational presidentship,” Congress leader Salman Soz told ETV Bharat.
“What is the Global South, basically developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America which remained developing. India has always been a leader of NAM which raised the voice of the developing countries,” he said.
According to the Congress leader, India is de facto one of the two main players in the so-called Global South, the other being China, and no one can take away India’s right to be the voice of the developing nations.
“China has deep connections with the African nations and with Latin America. That scale is enormous. It will not be easy for countries to agree to what India says as China has tight relations with the countries in the so-called Global South. However, India has its own position and stature in the developing world. Nothing can really happen without India agreeing to something. India can persuade and will have a forceful voice in any forum where the rights of developing countries are involved. Not even China can take that away. India is and will remain a major Asian power,” said Soz.
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The Congress leader said as a host of the G20 summit, India has an opportunity to unite different countries on select issues. “What is important is that every host has an opportunity to bring the different countries together on certain issues. For instance, the African Union becoming part of the G20 is a welcome move. Similarly, there can be agreements on some aspects of dealing with climate change if not all. The same goes for reforming international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There are far more things that unite us than those which divide us,” said Soz.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also expressed similar views. “There are many countries in the so-called Global South. One can take a leadership position but can’t become a leader. There are many other sovereign countries in the region,” Sharma said.
“Certainly, the 2023 G20 Summit is very important. It is a leap forward. The last summit in Indonesia had about 35 public engagements. This one has around 200. So, both the size and the scale are important but we have to be respectful to other nations,” he said. According to both Soz and Sharma, India’s position on dealing with the climate change issue has been consistent.
"India's position has been clear on climate change. The West created the problem in the first place and should therefore be doing the most to deal with the challenge. This stand will be taken at every international forum,” said Soz. “The issue is complex but the developed world has contributed to the climate change challenge being faced by all,” said Sharma.
